Reawakening
by hockeychic92
Summary: Now that the war is over, humanity looks forward to an era of peace. But, one planet's secrets provide temptation that few can resist and it may just be enough to incite a new war. Alliances are broken, new enemies made, and old goals pursued...
1. Part I: Chapter 1: Unknown

**A/N: Hey, guys! Yup, this is my new story and i'm totally stoked about it! Actually, i already have a lot of the chapters typed up already but i've been tweaking it a little bit here and there but now i think it's ready to be posted! *happy dance* **

**But, pay attention to the dates. This story takes place over several years and in several different places and it's important that you know when and where everything is happening so you really know what's going on.**

* * *

**Part I  
Chapter 1: Unknown**

* * *

_0400 Hours, August 7, 2557 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Unknown Planet_

Dust kicked up as the massive albatross touched down. Huge stabilizing arms reached out and dug themselves into the ground to hold the ship upright. The pilot turned off the engines and allowed the ship to cool as the passengers prepared to step out of the ship. From the back of the ship, steam hissed as three, large ramps lowered down to the ground. Each was loaded with vehicles and people.

An elephant moved first, pulling out of the cargo bay and driving at a painfully slow rate away from the drop ship. Right after it, a warthog pulled out of the ship and circled around the albatross, inspecting it quickly from the outside.

Meanwhile, the elephant, laden with over thirty professors and soldiers in spacesuits, moved further away from the ship. Doctor Heinz Hawes looked out at the landscape through his spacesuit's helmet as the vehicle stopped. It was very earth-like here. Large rolling plains dotted with trees dominated the scene as far as the eye could see, making a sort of lush green carpet before them.

A younger scientist stepped forward and tapped his shoulder as he spoke. "Sir, we're setting up the device to test the oxygen level here."

Dr. Hawes glanced at the younger man and nodded as he stood straighter. "Right," he said in his thick German accent. The younger man nodded and motioned for him to follow. He asked, "Are we testing the fertility of the soil?"

"Yes, sir," replied the young man as they stepped off the elephant. Soldiers stood about armed with their battle rifles and other weapons. The warthog was now parked next to the elephant, turret already rotating and ready for anything. Several scientists were pointing about and directing where large equipment was to be set up. Some of the devices were already up and testing the area.

The younger scientist looked at Dr. Hawes and asked, "How was the Marine Corps able to spare soldiers with all the re-colonization and reconstruction everywhere?"

After the war, the UNSC used the remaining troops to help keep order as they tried to re-colonize most of their former colonies. The ones that weren't glassed basically. It was an ongoing project that was yet to be completed and almost all of the troops were still dedicated to it. But, it wasn't a shock to Hawes that they spared twenty soldiers to oversee this research trip. Besides, they were there seeing if this planet could be inhabited by humans so that counted as re-colonization in a way.

Dr. Hawes looked at the man briefly and said, "There's only a few soldiers here, son. I'm sure that didn't hurt the Marine Corps one bit."

The younger scientist said nothing but lowered his head to look at an electronic pad. "Sir?" he asked. Hawes braced himself for another stupid question. "Why are we trying to colonize a planet so close to the Covenant?"

_Hmm, not such a dumb question after all. _And it was rather curious. After the Covenant had invaded and destroyed Jericho VII, they again visited to gather Tritium gas for the mass slipspace jump to earth. After that, the Covenant established a refueling station and from there they colonized. Now, four years after the war, they inhabit three planets in the system. It truly was strange that the UNSC wanted to live on a planet so close to their former enemies. But, Dr. Hawes told the doctor what he'd been told, "The leaders of our kind want to live near them so we can try to prove that our species can establish a treaty and live in harmony. Before we do the full colonization, they'll send the best politicians to ensure that everything will go smoothly."

The man stopped looking at his pad and said, "Are they really willing to trust them? After all they've done?"

Hawes shrugged. "We made peace with the Sangheili."

"Yeah, because they realized what they were doing was wrong and they _wanted_ to have peace between us."

Dr. Hawed stopped abruptly and sighed as he looked at the man. "Well, then if worse comes to worse, they'll help us fight them off again. Besides, the Covenant are completely divided now that the prophets are gone. Even if they did start to try and fight us again we'd crush them easily. Don't worry about that." He poked the man in chest and said, "You need to worry about the equipment and the tests."

"Yes, sir." The man then walked off to go and make sure everything was running smoothly.

Dr. Hawes then rubbed his spacesuit's hands together in anticipation as he walked away from all the devices and away from the elephant. Everything was going smoothly so far and he couldn't be happier.

But, something was still at the back of his mind. Many years ago, when they'd first started looking for a place to colonize, there was nothing in this area of space. Years ago, this planet didn't exist and then suddenly, it appeared out of the blue. There may be a few explanations about it, but most of them were ridiculous. Never mind though, he had other things to worry about.

As he glanced off in the distance, he thought he saw something falling from the sky. A glare on his suit's helmet from the system's two suns was right on top of it though, and made it hard to see. His shifted his head around and just as he caught a brief glimpse of it; it dropped behind large clouds in the distance. He imagined he was still watching the object and kept his eyes moving down. Again, he caught a glimpse of it, but only just before it disappeared behind more low clouds. The doctor stared at the clouds in the distance and could see small mountains peeking out from under them. He knew that there were more landing vessels, but he never heard anything about a group landing in the mountains. "What the hell?" he asked himself as he took a step toward it.

"Sir?" asked someone.

He whirled around, startled, and looked at another young scientist. "Yes?" he asked, trying make sure his voice didn't shake.

"Um, I just wanted to let you know that we tested the oxygen levels and they're almost exactly like earth. So, if you want to you can remove your suit now." Then, he turned and walked back toward where all the devices were.

Dr. Hawes sighed deeply as he took his helmet off. The suits had improved greatly since the twenty first century, but they were still bulky, hot, and uncomfortable. But, better safe than sorry. He walked back toward the elephant as he unzipped his suit. A soldier was looking at the digital map in the lower part of the elephant and Hawes asked, "So, how's the landscape?"

"Excellent, sir." The man never took his eyes off the map as he marked an area with a circle.

"What's that?" asked the doctor.

This time, the man glanced at him. "That's our landing zone, sir. We'll save it so when this goes down in the history books; our grandkids will know exactly where the pioneers landed." He man smiled and nodded to himself.

Hawes laughed a little. "But, we don't even know for sure if we can inhabit this planet. There's a lot of factors to consider."

The man shrugged. "I know. But I'm being optimistic."

The doctor remembered the mysterious falling object and asked hesitantly, "Do you know where all the landing vehicles are?"

"Yeah, of course," said the man. He pressed a few buttons on the map and they watched it enlarged it around their landing site. "That good?"

Hawes groaned. "Umm… I need to see the mountains."

"Oh. Well that's no problem," he said. Again, he enlarged the map until their landing site was only the size of the baseball on the map. Other circles were scattered about, but none were in the mountains.

But Hawes was still curious, and slightly troubled. "Um… Where's the group that landed in the mountains?"

This time the officer was confused. "Sir, there are no groups that are going to land in the mountains. " Hawes asked if the circles were based on the groups radioing in and telling him of their locations. "It is… kind of," the man said vaguely. "Every navigator in all the groups gets a copy of the target landing areas. When the groups touch down there, they radio in and I circle it. So when we compare the maps, we can see if anyone went missing." He then dug through a small stack of papers and grabbed one that looked like the digital map. "See? No circles in the mountains. There was no group that was supposed to land there."

Indeed, no marking indicated that anyone was going to land anywhere near there. They were nearest group, and the mountains seemed to be thirty miles away. "This makes no sense…" he said to himself as he grabbed a corner and rotated it so he could look at it easier.

The soldier shrugged and went back to his map. "Sorry, man. But landing in the mountains is a bad idea anyways. The terrain there is really rough and unpredictable." He hesitated and asked, "Why do you ask, sir?"

Hawes didn't know if he should confide in the man or not. Whatever he saw, it wasn't supposed to be there and there might be something else going on. He looked up at the man with a smile and said, "I was just wondering. They… look interesting and might have some new natural resources we can study." He sighed and clapped the man on his shoulder. "Thanks again."

"Yeah… no problem." The man seemed hesitant and confused, but he didn't press his superior any further as he turned back to his map.

Dr. Hawes set down his spacesuit garments on the floor next to the digital map and tugged lightly at his uniform collar. He didn't feel like a proper doctor unless he had his lab coat. But, oh well. He was helping the UNSC take a big step forward. Inhabiting planet so close to the Covenant may seem like suicide on the surface, but, when their alien friends saw how they could live in harmony, it would all work out. And the human race could claim another alien ally.

As he walked out again to view the experiments yet another young scientist stepped forward. "Sir, here's the results for most of the tests so far."

Hawes accepted the electronic pad quickly and scanned over it. Almost every test had been a success. Still, they had more to do, but the results so far were promising. Promising enough to call the UNSC command and tell them to ready a vessel to send in more supplies to occupy the planet. They would set up small outposts around the original landing zones, but the main one would be on top of their landing site. _His _landing site. He would go down in history for this. It was bringing them one step closer to intergalactic peace.

He smiled broadly and passed the pad back. The young man nodded thankfully and set off to see how the rest of the tests were going.

Again, Dr. Hawes couldn't be happier. And as he watched them raise the UNSC flag on the landing spot he drifted off, thinking of his future. Money, glory, recognition… glory. It was all too good to be true.

He glanced back toward the mountains range and saw that the clouds had moved away and the peaks were standing in their full glory. One mountain was at least twice as tall as the others and dominated the scene. It was an awe inspiring sight indeed. But, two questions were circling in his head as he looked at them. _What was that thing that crashed there? What other secrets are hidden on this planet? _

The poor man had no idea that those questions would plague him for years.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed chapter 1!!! It will get a ton better and really interesting soon! Also, i don't really refer to the Covenant species by their usual names that are used in the games. So, here are their names:  
****  
Sangheili= Elites  
Jiralhanae= Brutes  
San 'Shyuum= Prophets  
Unggoy= Grunts  
Kig-yar= Jackals  
****Mgalekgolo (No idea how to pronounce that so don't ask)= Hunters  
Yanme'e= Drones  
Huragok= Engineers (Though i doubt that they'll be in this story)**

**Yup, that's the Covenant for ya! I get most of my information off of Halopedia so if you guys have any questions you can either message me and i can give you the website or i can look it up and answer for you. Oh, and that history of the Lambda Serpentis System (that's seriously a real place... in the Halo universe lol), that's not mine that's Halopedia's. =)**

**Please review! Thanks, guys!**


	2. Chapter 2: Frustrations

**Chapter 2: Frustrations**

* * *

_1745 Hours, March 23, 2558 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, UNSCDF Orbital Defense Platform London Station_

Fleet Admiral William Thark, complete commander of all UNSC forces, stroked his chin as he read the reports coming from the recently discovered planet in the Lambda Serpentis System, now named Novus Pacis. Apparently, everything was going smoothly and the researchers were learning some interesting things about the planet. It was very abundant in natural resources that the UNSC needed to rebuild itself, and they were already establishing mines and wells to get them. Colonizing this planet would help the UNSC forward itself very quickly. The Covenant would soon learn that humanity may get knocked down… but they can still get back up again.

Ah, the Covenant. That was a more pressing matter. The leader pressed a button and the file switched to several résumés sent in by politicians who wanted to go and fix things with the aliens. It had taken them years to sift through the files and find the right men for the job, but he thought that they had the right men for it, but they needed one more. He scanned over a few, but, being a military man his whole life, he didn't fully understand what everything meant.

He was new to the job of Fleet Admiral. Right after the war had ended, Sir Terrence Hood retired now that his job was finished. Thark was chosen to take his place, and he was eager to help get the UNSC back on its feet and moving forward again.

Colonizing a new planet, and making a treaty with the Covenant, would surely boost his popularity and raise the morale of the civilians. Being friends with the most powerful alien alliance out there would help the people feel safer. But, the Sangheili weren't so keen on the idea. Their council apparently still harbored a hatred for the Jiralhanae and wanted nothing to do with them. As for the other alien species such as the Unggoy and Kig-yar, they would listen to whatever the Jiralhanae said, and if the brutes tried to start something, the weaker species would certainly follow. The Sangheili didn't want to trust them at all.

For a while after the war small Covenant groups continued to attack the colonies, not wanting to believe that the war was actually over. But, they were defeated quickly, and since then, the Covenant had been very, very quiet. He couldn't tell whether this was good or bad.

Just then, the two doors to his officer burst open, interrupting his thoughts. Thark jumped back in fright as he looked at his best friend. Admiral Tony Brewster stood before him with a smile on his face.

"To what do I owe this honor, Tony?" asked Thark casually.

Brewster held up an electronic keypad with bold yellow letters that said, "Top Secret" on it. "Will, you should look at this." He set the pad down in front of him and leaned on his leader's desk as the man picked it up.

"What's this?" Thark asked in confusion.

Brewster laughed. "That's my plan to get rid of the Covenant once for all, Will!" His eyes were bright with excitement.

Thark sighed and tossed the pad away so it landed in between Brewster's hands. "I told you, we don't need to kill them. We've gathered the best politicians out there and they're going to go and talk about a peace treaty with them—"

"That's a ridiculous plan and you know it," hissed Brewster. He then seemed to remember who he was talking to and cleared his throat. "_Sir_, who says that they'll honor the treaty?"

"They suffered losses same as us. Now that the prophets are gone I'm sure they don't want to fight anymore. Maybe we can still salvage some kind of friendship after all this." He sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

"Exactly. The prophets are gone and they're completely divided, Will. We should call in the Sangheili and together we can destroy them and make sure that this never happens ever again." He leaned in close. "We at least owe that much to our grandchildren."

"Hmm. And what if our grandchildren find themselves fighting against a new alien enemy and the Sangheili aren't enough to help them? Hmm? I'm pretty sure having another alliance would help."

Brewster sighed in frustration and his eyes were flaring dangerously. "Sir," he said through gritted teeth. "I urge you to at least consider this option." He tapped the electronic pad with his finger. "As my best friend you can at least do that for me."

Thark stood above his "best friend" and said, "I will not be cowed into doing something that could jeopardize humanity just because we're best friends. Now that I have been promoted to this post, I have a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. I can't just think about you anymore. I have to think about what's best for humanity. This is larger than both of us, Tony."

Brewster didn't back down though. "Well, I'm not taking that file with me. So you can either read it or—"

Thark then picked up the pad and dropped it into the trash can next to his desk without a word. The two then stared each other down until Brewster stormed out of the office. Thark's shoulders sagged and he sighed deeply. "Ugh… God," he said to himself.

Admiral Tony Brewster had always hated the Covenant with a great passion. It was understandable too. They'd killed his entire family and his homeworld. Thark had always dealt with it, but ever since he'd been promoted to Fleet Admiral, Brewster had been obsessed with destroying the aliens once and for all, and it was becoming a problem. He loved the idea of having a best friend who called all the shots and now that the Covenant was basically shattered, he saw it as the perfect opportunity to make sure that they could never, ever come back to power. He was actually very excited about inhabiting Novus Pacis because it was so close to his enemies. Brewster thought he could finally get his revenge.

But the fact was, the UNSC could not afford a war right now. True, more boys were being recruited, and the army and Marine Corps was regaining its strength, but it wasn't anywhere near where it had been before the war. Another fight would destroy it completely. Making a treaty with them was basically the only chance they had.

Thark put his head in his hands and muttered several incoherent things, most of which were related to his new responsibilities. Someone knocked on his door and he mumbled, "Come in." As he looked up he saw his aide walk in with an electronic pad. He couldn't help himself and asked, "Did you by chance get this from Admiral Brewster?"

The aide had actually been given secret files by Brewster before. He now had to resort to sneaking in his ideas or Thark wouldn't even see him at all. Actually, the fact that Brewster had given him this plan in person was rather strange…

"Ha-ha, no, sir," said the aide, snapping him out of his thoughts. "This is an update on how things are on Novus Pacis, sir," he said as he handed him a device.

Thark's eyebrows raised as he accepted the electronic pad from the young man. "Hmm, they send us a lot of information don't they?"

The aide laughed a little. "Yes, sir. They love swamping you in work."

This made Thark chuckle deeply. "Yes," he looked up, a sparkle in his eye. "They're trying to drown me aren't they?"

His aide laughed again and set another device on his desk. "This is from the Sangheili, sir. It said for your eyes only."

"Ah. Thank you, son," he said as he looked the electronic pads over. As the aide left the room he grabbed the one about Novus Pacis.

Thark pulled up the file and scanned the title: "Novus Pacis Now Ready for Arrival of Politicians to Begin Peace Talks." As he read through it, he realized it was simply informing him of how much they'd gotten done there. Apparently the capitol of the planet was all set up and named "Spero", which was Latin for "hope". He couldn't help but wonder what was up with the Latin. The planet's name was Novus Pacis which was Latin for "new peace". The rest of the file simply restated that he could send the politicians anytime he was ready and in the meantime, they'd continued to improve the cities.

"Mmm… nothing new here," he said as he closed that file and grabbed the other pad. He pulled up with file with mild interest and scanned the title, which simply read, "For Fleet Admiral Thark's Eyes Only". _Very informative, _he thought to himself.

He then opened the file and scanned through it all. It wasn't very long, but the information was very unnerving. Apparently their intelligence groups had intercepted a message with the words "Prophet of Reclamation" in it. His jaw dropped as he read it. Could the Covenant really get another prophet? It had only been five years since the end of the war. Another fact the Sangheili threw in was that Kig-yar leaders and the Covenant leaders had made contact. This meant that the mercenaries could once again be trying to ally with the alien race.

Thark sighed as he let the electronic pad hit the desk with a soft thud. This message was very unnerving indeed. The Covenant may be getting back together even after all the damage done to them. With a new passion, he pulled up the file filled with the politician's résumés and scanned through it again.

Now more than ever, they needed to make contact with the aliens and try to form a treaty. Before things spun out of control again.

* * *

_1500 Hours, March 25, 2558 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, UNSCDF Orbital Defense Platform London Station_

Admiral Tony Brewster paced his small office like an animal in a cage. Papers were scattered about, all covered with information about the Covenant and the new planet. So far, these were the main points of interest since the war had. He thought to himself about how to rid the galaxy of the enemy. But more, how to get around his ignorant best friend.

Two of his other friends sat next to him quietly, watching him pace about. After nearly half an hour, he snapped. "Do you have something to add?! 'Cause if you don't you can just go!"

Captain Brian Vorster sighed deeply, "Tony, you're going to hurt yourself thinking about this all the time. Just let Admiral Thark handle it." He was a genuine friend, and was worried about Brewster, who obsessed about the Covenant. But, he would follow him to the ends of the earth. He redefined the phrase, "Loyal to a fault."

Brewster laughed ruefully. "You might as well ask me to run my ship into the surface of a planet!" he yelled angrily. "I can't just let him ruin this! We only have a little while before the Covenant finds another prophet and then—"

"Actually, that window has passed," interjected Admiral Natalie Lanasky. She was the new head of the ONI, after the previous leader had died peacefully in her sleep. "We've received intelligence that they have indeed gotten a new prophet. We can't do that anymore." She actually agreed completely with Brewster and was absolutely prepared to assist him in any way.

Her news though sent Brewster over the edge. He kicked his desk viciously and grabbed all the papers on it and threw them about the room. The childish admiral then kicked his trashcan, and shouted, "Oh! Great, great! What do we do now?!"

His two friends though stayed seated and waited for him to calm down. Finally, Lanasky spoke. "Tony, we'll figure this out," she said calmly.

Captain Vorster took the cue and nodded vigorously. "Yeah, sir. We can figure this out."

But Brewster was in his own world as he chewed on a pencil. "We need to get around my ol' buddy. Admiral William Thark."

"How do you… propose we do that?" asked Vorster hesitantly.

Lanasky knew though. "Resources."

Brewster explained what she meant. "We must make allies within this government. In every level. We already have one high up in the chain of command: Myself. And one in the intelligence department: You, Lanasky. Vorster, you're in the Marine Corps and you'll help with field missions…" he trailed off as he thought. He glanced at Lanasky. "Can you get me a list… of all the possible areas where we'll need contacts?"

She nodded and pulled out a pen to write it down. "Of course."

"And Vorster, I need you to start making friends. Especially with your superiors."

Vorster was hesitant, but nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir."

"And don't call me 'sir'," he said with a grin. He then spread his arms out to include his friends. "We're a team. No formalities."

They both nodded and Lanasky stood. "Well, _Tony, _I have to go and work on this and get back to my normal job."

Vorster stood as well. "Yes, I should get back."

Brewster nodded understandingly. "Of course! Go on. We'll meet again. Soon." They both nodded to him as they left and he leaned back in his chair. "We'll deal with this problem, with or without you, Will. Let's just hope you come to your senses before I become too powerful of an enemy."

* * *

**Cue dramatic music!!! Lol just kidding. And yeah, i know that the UNSC isn't in complete control over all humanity and that it's only in control over the military branches. The United Earth Government is in control. But honestly, when i was writing this, i was just way too lazy to go and read that article. So, this is how it ended up.**

**Please review!!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Grunts and Politicians

**Okay, first of all, let me say that i LOVE this new character and i love writing his chapters. I tend to write them at like one in the morning, so i'm either totally exhausted and look like a zombie or i'm hyped up on caffiene 'cause i'm tryin' to stay awake. Long story short: His chapters are funny!! =D**

**So, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Grunts and Politicians**

* * *

_0330 Hours, December 7, 2558 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero_

Corporal Christopher Overton sighed as he looked off at the mountains and watched the two red suns rise. The morning air was always frigid and he welcomed the sun's rays as they painted the large city in their warm glow. Thank God for the sun. Or… suns in this case. He knew that everyone in the city was thinking the same thing.

More than a year after it'd been set up, the city was thriving with soldiers and scientists, still studying the planet. Even mine workers had shown up, looking for work and money, now that miens had been established to get the much needed natural resources. Barely a year old and it was already a very busy place.

Funny how that works out, really. Chris nodded kindly to the built men walking past him to go talk to the city's main man in charge. As they all filed past him, he looked up into the sky, wondering when the politicians would come.

Honestly, he was very excited to start the colonization of this world, but no one wanted to come live on a planet so close to the Covenant, without the reassurance that there would be peace and they would be safe. There were only two ways to assure this: Destroy the Covenant or make a treaty.

Everyone who'd heard about the planet had thought of the first as the most logical answer. Living next to three Covenant colonies was simply, suicide. But, the troops had been told time and time again, they simply didn't have the man-power to fight them. Especially now that they had a new prophet back. Apparently this new leader had convinced the grunts to join them again, offering security for the weak race. The Kig-yar had also joined the Covenant again, drawn in by the prospect of money. Filthy mercenaries. As the months had passed, it became more and more obvious that the aliens were banding together to make sure that the humans didn't try anything.

Peace however, was the last thing they wanted. Not only did the humans not trust the aliens, but they hated them. Almost everyone had felt the aftershocks of the Human-Covenant War and almost everyone suffered greatly. Billions of people died and no one wanted to forget that. They especially didn't want to partner with the aliens responsible for that pain.

"Hey, corporal!" shouted someone.

Chris's head snapped over to look and see who'd said it, and he was surprised to find his captain marching toward him. "Sir!" he snapped a sharp salute.

Captain Alex Carter stopped barely an inch away from his face. "Don't do that 'sir' shit to me, soldier! Where's Walkins?!" the captain yelled at the top of his lungs.

Tyler Walkins, Chris's friend, has played hooky more than he could count. He particularly hated night watch duty and frequently ditched to go for a stroll through the forest or visit some other nearby outpost. Chris would do likewise, but someone was bound to notice that both of them were gone. Last night, Walkins wanted to go out for a little stroll, but said he didn't know when he'd be back. Chris, of course, promised he'd cover for him. But, of course, had no idea what he'd gotten himself into.

He tried to play dumb for his friend. "I… don't know, sir."

"Don't play dumb with me!" screamed the captain. Chris honestly didn't think he could get any louder. "He was standing right next to you! Where is he?!"

"Sir… I get tired being on night watch and sometimes I nod off—"

"Enough of the dumb shit! Lie to me one more time, and you'll be doing bathroom duty at the barracks for a month!" Chris actually had to suppress a shudder as he thought about cleaning the toilets in the bathroom of his less than sanitary home. "Now, where is Walkins?"

Honestly, giving up his friend seemed like a really good idea right about now. Then, a voice shouted, "Sir!"

Both of them turned to see Corporal Tyler Walkins standing at attention, battle rifle gripped firmly in his hands. Chris almost fell over as his captain shoved him roughly. "Well, well, well," droned the captain. "Looky what we have here. A runaway."

Walkins looked at the captain's hat and said loudly, "I'm no runaway, sir."

"You lying to me boy?" The man towered over Walkins and Chris almost thought the captain would try to eat him. "Well, you just earned yourself two months of bathroom duty! Maybe that will get this hooky business outta your system."

"Sir, yes, sir!" he shouted back.

The captain then looked at Chris again. "As for you, you get another month of night watch duty. Maybe that'll teach you a little lesson too."

"Yes, sir!" Chris shouted. But the man had already walked away. Chris laughed a little and asked, "Where'd you go this time, Tyler?"

The man hid behind a building away from the captain and pulled a small whiskey flask out from his uniform shirt. "The outpost two miles away from here." He smiled down at the bottle and said, almost in awe, "I don't know where they get it from, but it's amazing."

"And you're pathetic, my friend," said Chris as he walked into the city.

"Oh, _I'm _the pathetic one?!" Tyler yelled after him as he tucked the flask away and walked into the city as well.

The city mainly consisted of three story buildings hastily erected before the arrival of the mine workers. It was hardly a city, more like a very large outpost. But, it wasn't up to either of them to decide what counted as a city or not.

Chris laughed as his friend called after him. "Yes, you're the pathetic one! You got bathroom duty for two months!"

Tyler finally caught up and walked next to him, patting the bulge on his chest that was his precious whiskey. "It was worth it."

"You show that to everyone else it's only going to last a minute," laughed Chris.

"Yeah. That's why you and I are going to be the only ones who know about this. Right?" he gave his friend a questioning look.

Chris couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "Right." They walked into a large building next to the wall that served as part of the barracks. As they walked to their bunk, they were glad to see hardly anyone around. Walkins plopped down on his mattress, while unscrewing the cap to the flask, and Chris sat on the edge of someone else's bed.

"Besides, this bathroom duty crap will make it easier for me to sneak out at night," Walkins said. He then took a large swig of the liquor.

"How so?" asked Chris, genuinely confused.

"Man, you're on night watch duty! You can totally look the other way."

"Maybe. But I doubt my partner would be so quick to play dumb," said Chris with a chuckle.

Tyler scoffed and screwed the lid back on the flask after taking another drink. "Pfft. Please! I'll take care of your little buddy. No problem." The man then set his battle rifle on the floor and stretched out on his bunk with a sigh. He brought his hand behind his head and mumbled, "Man, I'm so good."

Chris laughed at him again. "Oh, yeah. You the man." He grabbed his assault rifle and walked out of the barracks.

"Heck yes I am! You're jealous!" Walkins yelled after him.

_Absolutely,_ Chris thought to himself. Outside, everyone was running around, very excited as they pointed to the sky. He cupped a hand over his eyes and stared up to see a massive ship beginning to descend. This much excitement could only mean one thing: the politicians had arrived.

_

* * *

__0350 Hours, December 7, 2558 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis_

Chris stood in formation with all the other troops as the large ramp lowered down from the frigate. All the men stood stiffly and nervously, hoping their appearance would please the newcomers. Everyone was nervous. They even rolled out a red carpet for the men and assembled all the officers and head men of the facility to meet the politicians. Somewhere, someone shouted, "Atten-hut!"

A loud thudding sound reverberated as every soldier snapped a salute and stood at attention. Chris tried to stare straight ahead but the men who could possibly save humanity were walking down that carpet. He snuck a glance down and saw seven men walking past all the soldiers. They had what looked to be very expensive suits and carried themselves as though they were kings. "Kings" may not be the right word… "gods" was more like it.

Chris watched them until they were in front of him, and then his eyes snapped back forward to appear as the perfect soldier. It didn't matter though, the men walked by without even looking at the soldiers and seemed as though they didn't even care about how much effort the soldiers had put into setting this up for them.

Politicians. They're all the same.

When they reached the gate, they all magically sprouted smiles and shook hands with the garrison leaders and the founder of the city, Dr. Heinz Hawes. Then, they disappeared behind the gates to go and discuss travel arrangements and security for themselves.

No one moved, until the voice shouted, "At ease!" The men instantly relaxed and but waited to move until the voice yelled, "As you were, men."

Chris actually released a breath that he didn't realize he'd been holding. Everyone around him was nervous. As though they were worried that how they treated the politicians would affect whether or not they went and spoke on humanity's behalf. But, when Chris thought about it, having these men around made everyone a little nervous. They held the fate of humanity in their hands.

Tyler walked up again, and Chris saw him screwing the cap back on the flask again. "You brought that here?" Chris said angrily.

Walkins shrugged as he tucked the flask back into his uniform and patted the bulge lovingly. "It's my new baby." Chris nodded to his friend as he jokingly pretended to understand the mind of Tyler Walkins. No one could ever accomplish that though. Tyler pointed with his chin at the place where the politicians had disappeared. "What'd you think of them?"

Chris shrugged. "I don't know. But our fate's in their hands. So let's hope they know what they're doing."

* * *

**Yeah, i know some of you may not be totally excited about a peace treaty between humanity and the Covenant. That's really absolute bollocks. But, don't worry. 'Cause in two chapters, you'll see that there's more to this than meets the eye! (OMG that's totally like Transformers! I feel cool =D)**


	4. Chapter 4: Discussions

**Chapter 4: Discussions**

* * *

_0930 Hours, December 9, 2558 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, Orbiting Earth, UNSCDF Orbital Defense Platform London Station _

Fleet Admiral William Thark paced his office in anticipation. He had a meeting with a Sangheili leader, Rtas 'Vadum, to talk about the Sangheili support of the peace talks. It was very important that he get his intentions clear or their alien allies may not support him, and that would be too catastrophic to tell.

Humanity's army was shattered and just now starting to pick up the pieces. Having a large ally like the Sangheili was the only reason that the Covenant didn't attack again after they were defeated. If they lost that alliance now, the Covenant just may not be so hesitant.

His intercom chimed to life as he heard, "Admiral, Rtas 'Vadum is here, sir."

He practically ran over to his desk and hit the switch so he could speak. "Thank you. Let him in please."

Moments later, his doors opened to reveal the giant fleet master. Admiral Thark recognized him instantly from his two missing mandibles on his left side. The eight foot six alien actually had to duck a little as he entered the room. Behind him, his bodyguards stood, waiting for an order. 'Vadum turned and said, "Wait outside. We're all friends in this room." The two of them nodded silently and closed the office doors. Then, the alien turned to Thark. "Admiral, it's good to finally meet you in person," he said in his deep voice.

Thark shook hard, knowing that his grip wouldn't hurt the alien in the least bit. "Likewise." He smiled and motioned to the seats in front of his desk. "Care to have a seat?"

"No, thank you. I prefer to stretch my legs," the giant boomed in his deep voice.

"Of course," Thark said with a friendly smile as he took his seat. He leaned forward and linked his fingers together, trying to look at least a little professional. The alien seemed to look professional and imposing without even trying. It must've been his height… and the bodyguards. Thark decided to kick off the meeting with light small talk. "Well, welcome to the London Station. How was the trip?"

'Vadum sighed and shook his head. "Long. I haven't travelled so far since the war."

Thark chuckled. "We soldiers tend to forget how stressful the job is when we aren't fighting."

'Vadum nodded and walked over to a wall to look at Thark's awards and plaques. "Yes, indeed. But let us hope we don't have to fight anytime soon," he said absentmindedly. He ran his four-fingered hand over a globe and said, "How is your earth?"

Thark sighed. "Earth… it's in bad shape. Many of the cities are destroyed and many people have lost their homes. We're doing the best we can to keep order and rebuild but… we don't have many troops left."

The fleet master nodded understandingly and rested his hand over the continent of Africa. "How is this region? Is it recovering?"

Another sigh. "No. Africa is almost completely abandoned. I don't think that area will ever be what it once was." He stopped for a moment and thought about what to say. "But, the good news is that we've been able to rebuild some of the older colonies. And we've begun searching for possible new ones again."

The Elite leader smiled in the strange Elite way and moved away from the globe. "I'm glad to hear you've been able to get back on your feet. Soon, we'll be strong allies once again." He stopped and looked at a picture of Sir Terrence Hood. Then, he looked at Thark and said slowly, "You have some very large shoes to fill, my friend."

The human nodded and looked at his now sweating hands. "Yes, I know." He then looked up at the fleet master. "Did you know the admiral well?"

'Vadum walked back over to stand in front of Thark. "Thel 'Vadam knew him better than I. But, I'd met him." Thark thought it strange to hear the Arbiter referred to by his actual name. Thark had heard of his name before, but he'd never heard it out of the mouth of a Sangheili warrior.

"Why couldn't Arbiter join us again?" asked Thark hesitantly.

"It's a rather long story. But if you wish to hear it…" he trailed off and gave Thark a questioning look. Thark nodded, so Rtas 'Vadum explained, "Before the war, we had different leaders who ruled different states and were elected by a council of elders who lived in that area. Now, we have decided that we must be more united and have finally decided that it would be best if we had one council that presided over the planet and one leader that was elected by them to rule. They instantly chose, Thel. But, he must discuss issues with the council before making final decisions. So, though he truly wanted to come talk to you about this in person, he had many other pressing matters in the wake of the war and had to send me." The leader nodded with his explanation and finished by saying, "He sends his apologies."

"Well, tell him it's no problem." Thark almost laughed at the lengthy explanation but stayed silent.

"Yes, he earned great respect from the council elders after the war. They saw this as the only fitting reward."

"I wish we could've given our hero a reward," Thark mumbled as he remembered SPARTAN-117. "Did you know the Chief?" asked Thark quietly.

'Vadum nodded and looked at the human. "I witnessed his capacity for courage many a time. He truly was a great warrior. He'll forever be respected by our kind." The men stayed silent for a moment to respect the great man. Then, the fleet master said, "Now, tell me more about this treaty you're proposing."

Thark looked up sharply and said, "Ah, yes." He then pulled out an electronic pad and held it out for the Sangheili leader. "That document explains everything in great detail and you can consult it later if I'm not clear enough."

As the fleet master tucked the pad away, Thark took a deep breath and began. "Well, you remember the war very clearly I'm sure. You know how much damage the Covenant did." The alien nodded. "I want to help make sure that that never happens again. But, our armies are shattered and our resources exhausted so fighting them is out of the question. And, in my opinion, a treaty would be better anyways. Then, we would be allies with the two most powerful alien empires in the universe. There would be no more enemies and no one left to fear." Thark then leaned back and signaled that he was done.

'Vadum paced about the room as he contemplated such an alliance and what options that had. After nearly a minute he stopped and said, "It's a good plan. Good vision. But, many do not trust the Covenant still, so how do you intend to get the three of us to get along?"

Thark pointed at the electronic pad and said, "There's more information on this planet in that file but basically, we have begun colonizing a planet in the Lambda Serpentis System. There are already three Covenant colonies there and so it'll be easy for us to communicate with them. And hopefully later, the three of us could all inhabit that planet."

'Vadum stopped and pointed one of his four fingers at Thark. "That may be impossible, Admiral. After such a heated war with so much passionate hate, I don't think the three of us would last a year without fighting again."

Thark leaned forward and said, "Come on. If we can live in the same system without fighting I think we may be able to manage to live on the same planet. And once we show each other that we can live in harmony on one planet, then everyone will see that we truly can coexist."

The fleet master crossed his arms and began pacing again. "Well, we can discuss that later. What we need to focus on now is what's in front of us: the peace talks."

Thark nodded and stood slowly. He was tired of sitting and wanted to stretch his legs. He walked over to 'Vadum and said, "So, how have you decided to do the peace talks?"

"Besides the Arbiter, we've gathered the wisest Elders to make this monumental decision. From what I've heard, you've done likewise?"

"Yes, our greatest politicians are already on Novus Pacis."

"Hmm. Well, I'll send word to the Elders to head there immediately. The Arbiter will come with me to the final trip. Maybe our… political leaders could meet to decide some of the demands we'll have for the Covenant?"

Thark nodded and ran a hand over the edge of his smooth desk in thought. "Yes." After a moment he said, "I think one thing we must demand is the destruction of the rings."

At the mention of the massive weapons 'Vadum shuddered slightly. A moment later he composed himself and said firmly. "Absolutely. We must not risk the fate of the galaxy, especially after we fought so hard to defend it."

Thark nodded and silence stretched between the two leaders for a long while as they reflected on the war. Then, Thark sighed and asked, "Are you and the Arbiter accompanying your council members to the meeting?"

"Yes. Are you?"

Thark simply nodded and then took a deep breath and said, "I think it's important for their prophet to see that we're united. Even after the treaty, he needs to understand that our two races have achieved a level of trust that they could never hope to share with us."

'Vadum nodded vigorously and said, "I agree. We must present ourselves as a united force. A force they'll have to reckon with should they ever betray us."

Thark smiled broadly and walked back over to take his seat. "We've decided that our politicians will leave for the Covenant planet on the twentieth, so that by the time 2559 rolls around we'll hopefully have a new ally."

The fleet master leaned on the desk, and by the creaking sound it made Thark thought he was going to break it. "Very well, I'll tell my Elders the same thing." He glanced to the right and then said quietly, "Admiral, I advise you not to be too optimistic. The prophets are liars that can't be trusted. Treaty or no treaty, it matters not to them."

Thark sighed and looked down at his folded hands. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

'Vadum stood straight and towered over the Fleet Admiral. "Well, let us go to Novus Pacis and prepare for the peace talks. Time is short."

* * *

**Oh yeah, i don't own Rtas 'Vadum. He's a legit Halo character from the series so Bungie owns him. But, i think he's awesome so i put him in the story!!! And that whole thing about the Sangheili government, i found on Halopedia. I only tweaked it a wee bit.**

**Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Prophet of Reclamation

**Chapter 5: The Prophet of Reclamation**

* * *

_0720 Hours, December 18, 2558 (Military Calendar)\  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Kul'at, Capitol city, Council chambers _

The Prophet of Reclamation tapped his fingertips together as he listened to the council droning on about the upcoming peace talks. The group seemed to be split right down the middle on the matter. There were a lot of benefits to being allies with Humanity and the Sangheili, but at the same time, after the war he didn't know if the Covenant species could bring themselves to join humanity. And the Jiralhanae especially hated the Sangheili after the Great Schism.

It didn't matter though; the council didn't know it, but they were nothing more than advisors. He was the leader of the Covenant and had already made his decision. Honestly, he didn't even know why he was listening to these fools.

After some of the members began shouting at each other. He raised his hands and called for silence. Nearly every council member quieted immediately. "Friends," he droned in his quiet, wheezy voice. "thank you for coming to this final meeting. Now, I shall retire to my chambers to pray and prepare myself for the meeting. Thank you." He then linked his fingers and bowed his head to all of minute mumbling the old San 'Shyuum left the prophet alone in the massive chamber.

As the last of them filed out of the room, a large brute entered, towering over the other species as they walked past him. He was the new Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, and the complete leader of the brutes, chosen during the brief period when the brutes broke away from the Covenant after the war. The prophet didn't fully approve of them having their own leader but this brute was his good friend, and he knew it gave the Jiralhanae great pride to have their own leader. Even though he took orders willingly from the prophet.

The Prophet of Reclamation outstretched his hands and said, "Alaricus! Welcome, my old friend."

The massive Jiralhanae leader bowed down as he approached the prophet and said in his deep, rumbling voice, "Sir." Then, he straightened and stood in front of the Covenant leader. He was possibly the largest brute the prophet had ever seen. At least several inches over nine feet and extremely bulky. His armor was a glistening gold and reflected the light around the massive room like a mirror.

The San 'Shyuum turned his gravity throne around and hit a switch that opened a doorway at the back of the chambers. "Come, come, Alaricus. We have much to discuss."

The Jiralhanae then followed his master through the door as they walked slowly to Reclamation's chambers. "The time draws near," the prophet said. He then looked at the massive leader. "How are you feeling about the treaty?" When the leader said nothing but simply growled, the prophet said, "Be honest, my friend."

After considerate hesitation, the brute said, "Sir, I do not approve of this decision to ally with the humans and the elites. How can we trust them?"

The prophet tapped his fingertips together as he hovered along. "They remember what we did to them in the war. The damage we did. They don't want to feel any more of our might. And, their pathetic army is in ruins. If they were ever going to try and attack us, they would have done it when we scattered across the galaxy."

The Jiralhanae then asked quietly, "Why have we come back together? After the war everyone figured we would go our own ways and then you called us back. Why?"

"Partially, to keep the UNSC from attacking us. I have a feeling that the option of attacking was looking very appetizing before we announced my election and our unification. Now that we're reuniting, they know they missed their chance."

"Is there no other reason?" asked the brute chieftain.

The prophet said, almost in a whisper, "Yes, there's another reason." He looked at Alaricus with a smile and said, "Wait until we reach my chambers. This conversation must stay between us."

Only a few minutes later, the two entered into the prophet's chambers. It spacious to say the least and had a massive window that let him looked out across the horizon. The sunset outside bathed the room in warm glow that seemed to contrast the blue and purple colors all over the room. The San 'Shyuum moved his gravity throne behind his desk and said, "Come, my friend. Let me explain my intentions."

The massive giant hesitantly moved over in front of his leader's desk and watched a hologram of the rings appeared. The brute looked at them all. "The humans will never let us go near these holy relics, sir."

The prophet nodded. "No doubt. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they destroyed them. But," he hit a switch and the hologram switched to one of the Lambda Serpentis System. "somewhere in this system, we've discovered another Forerunner structure. One… possibly more powerful than any of the rings."

"Where?" asked the brute as he leaned in closer to study the hologram.

"Alas, we haven't been able to truly find its exactly location. But we're searching every corner of this system."

The brute smiled as he stroked his trimmed beard. "So, the treaty is only temporary?"

The prophet smiled and linked is thin, weak fingers. "Yes, my friend. They will probably destroy the rings thinking that those were our only relics and that now we have nothing. So, we must keep this new Forerunner structure a secret and cooperate with humanity and the Sangheili. Then, they won't suspect us and when we finally find this new relic, we can once again march on toward the Great Journey!"

The brute leader nodded and growled in anticipation. The Prophet of Reclamation was glad to see the Jiralhanae leader pleased. The brutes were the strongest species in their alliance and the other races looked up to them. If everyone saw the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae following the prophet without question, they too would follow him.

The prophet leaned back in his gravity throne and sighed deeply. "Now, I need you to tell your brutes that they must keep this new Forerunner structure a secret. If the humans or the elites knew of this, it would mean disaster."

"Yes, sir," the brute said instantly.

The prophet sprouted a smile and said in an upbeat tone, "Now, tell me how it is going with gathering our old comrades."

The brute nodded and hit a switch on his side of the holographic projector, which was still showing the LS System. The picture vanished and was replaced by the image of an Unggoy. The brute leader said, "The grunts have joined us once again. I think they realized how truly weak they are without us." The image switched to a Kig-yar. "The jackals have again agreed to join us. They are easily drawn in by money, sir."

"Well, at least they're easily won over. That'll make them useful allies." Just as the brute was about to continue, the prophet interrupted, saying, "The Kig-yar get along well with the humans, yes?"

The brute seemed slightly confused but then said, "Well, they get along with anyone who is willing to trade with them."

The prophet tilted his head to one side and said, "Hmm… Interesting. We must make that they don't grow too comfortable with dealing with the humans. It would be a shame if we lost a large portion of our soldiers simply because they like these humans."

"Yes, sir," the brute said with a respective nod. He then switched the image to one of the Mgalekgolo and continued. "We don't know where the hunters stand on this issue. As far as we know, they haven't made contact with humanity or the Sangheili."

"Maybe they simply want to leave all this behind…" muttered the Prophet of Reclamation.

Alaricus nodded and finished his briefing by saying that the Yanme'e have also said that they will join the Covenant. The prophet was pleased to hear this. The drones were truly a great advantage on the battlefield and were good strategists. Now their old army was looking almost as strong as it used to be.

Overall, the prophet was pleased. He smiled and moved his gravity throne so he was next to his Jiralhanae leader. "Well done, my friend. Let us continued to try and make contact with the Mgalekgolo. See if we can get them to join us."

"Yes, sir, it will be done."

The prophet motioned for the brute to follow as they left his office again. He spoke in a hushed tone and said, "Alaricus, one last thing before you go. I want you to choose who will lead the search for the Forerunner relic. I don't trust anyone else to decide."

"Of, course, sir."

The smaller alien sighed and rubbed his forehead in thought. "Tell them, I need them to be… random, in their search. The humans are no doubt keeping an eye on us and we don't want them to get suspicious." Almost as an afterthought, he added, "But, they must find it quickly."

"Yes, sir," Alaricus said. "Actually, I know just the one, sir."

The prophet straightened and stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Really? And who is this worthy leader?" he asked, intrigued. He must be worth mentioning to come to Alaricus's mind so quickly.

"His name is Marcellus, sir. He's moved up through the ranks quickly for someone of his age. He commanded the battlecruiser _Insurmountable_ _Strength_ during the war. He's only a ship master, but his record is impressive, sir."

"Hmm… I've heard of him. Good choice, Alaricus. And his smaller ship will make him harder to find." This brute really was one of the best in the whole Covenant navy. And he was still younger than most brute captains. Moving up through the ranks so quickly alone validated his skill as a leader.

"Thank you, sir. So shall I send word to him to begin the search?" the brute Chieftain asked.

"Yes." The prophet stopped and hit a small button on his gravity throne, ejecting a small purple chip. He plucked it from the slot and held it up for Alaricus to see. "This is a map of the system detailing the possible locations. Give this to him and tell him to make haste."

The brute accepted the tiny piece of hardware and nodded fervently. "Sir." He then bowed down before his leader and left for his ship. The prophet watched him go, and silently prayed that they would find the relic soon.

That was their only chance.

* * *

**Yup, the Covenant are up to their old tricks again. Bloody bastards. Ya like the brute names? I was reading about how they do the naming and apparently they're very Latin-like and the "us" at the end of the name is very honoring. So, i looked up some Latin names that end in "us" and found Alaricus and Marcellus. Alaricus means "ruler of all" and Marcellus means "defense or of the sea" (I'm not sure how i settled on that name... i think it has something to do with the fact that he's a naval officer). I thought Alaricus's name fit because he's kinda the head honcho for the brutes. So that explains them. **

**Oh, and when i use the word "relic" i'm not referring to the structure on Harvest in Halo Wars. I'm just using that word generally ya know? Anyways, hope you guys are getting into this a little!**


	6. Chapter 6: Face to Face

**I hope you guys are enjoying this story so far! Here's the newest addition to the story! Please review and give me feedback!**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Face to Face**

* * *

_0225 Hours, December 21, 2558 (Military Calendar)\  
Lambda Serpentis System, Approaching surface of Kul'at, UNSC frigate _Unshakable

Dr. Heinz Hawes tapped his foot in anticipation as their ship zoomed toward the Covenant planet, Kul'at. They'd been flying for a full day, and he was anxious to land and start the peace talks. As their ship entered the atmosphere, he glanced around the massive room at everyone that had come with the politicians.

The leader of all humanity, Fleet Admiral William Thark, and the leader of the Sangheili, the Arbiter, were the two most notable individuals. The latter was clad in his traditional Arbiter armor. The next recognizable face was that of Rtas 'Vadum, the arguably best fleet master the Sangheili had. Each had brought with them at least twenty guards to protect themselves and the politicians. Humanity's seven best politicians were present in their very expensive suits that seemed out of place amongst all the armor and uniforms. The Sangheili's elders were present in their glistening silver armor and massive helmets that seemed to triple the size of their heads.

As for the soldiers, Hawes saw that the very best of humanity's troops had been brought along. Almost everyone was above the rank of master sergeant and battle scarred. It could be assumed that almost every man there had fought in the war. He noticed that the elite soldiers were in the traditional honor guard armor. Their golden headdresses and shoulder plates were glowing brightly in the dark chamber on the ship. It was curious that the soldiers that had once guarded the prophets were now protecting their own council members as they visited one. The war had shifted things a great deal for every race it seemed.

Dr. Hawes was again asking himself why he'd come on a potentially dangerous mission. Ah, yes. As the founder and inadvertent leader of Novus Pacis, it was his duty to give permission for some Covenant to inhabit the planet alongside humanity and the Sangheili. It seemed the new planet was to serve as the experimental multi-species colony. As he didn't exactly want to be the leader of the planet, he was a little nervous to know that it was up to him to keep the peace between the three races… or else risk another war.

The ship shuddered as she docked and several of the politicians yelped in fright. The soldiers simply rolled their eyes and stood to exit the ship. He stood with everyone else and followed the procession of soldiers toward the door.

Moments later, they walked down the large gangplank from the ship to a rather large group of brutes at the bottom. Hawes gulped slightly as he saw the massive giants lined up on either side of the walkway. They looked much more imposing than in the many pictures he'd seen.

As they walked by the massive giants, the politicians suddenly grew very nervous and inadvertently moved toward the inside of the group. The elite elders seemed unfazed, as they themselves were legendary fighters. The elite honor guard growled at the brutes wearing similar armor, and drew deep, thunder-like growls in return. The humans glared at the beasts behind their dark visors, but stayed silent for the most part. Most kept their eyes focused forward to the end of the lines of brute guards.

Where the Prophet of Reclamation sat, hands folded casually.

Hawes could feel himself breaking out in a sweat as he saw a massive brute approach from behind the Covenant leader. If it was even possible, he was larger than the brutes to either side of him. He lowered his head and whispered something to the prophet, and the smaller alien nodded in response.

_Look at something else. Look at something else. Look at something else, _he said to himself. He was about ready to turn and run back onto the ship. Almost casually, the old doctor glanced to his right and saw that behind the giants, were what seemed to be hundreds of smaller aliens, barely five feet tall. These must be the grunts. Scattered amongst them were taller aliens with bird-like heads. He noticed a few of them smack grunts for saying something, and instantly knew these were jackals.

_Well, if they try to attack us, we won't stand a chance, _he thought to himself in despair.

Hawes barely noticed that the man in front of him had stopped before he ran into the back of him. He stopped quickly and looked at the prophet and brute leader standing side by side.

At first, it seemed to be a stare-down between the two former enemies and he was sure he heard a deep growl from Rtas 'Vadum. After killing so many of the giants, it must be strange standing in the same room with so many and not even drawing his weapon. But, after several moments, the old alien in the gravity throne broke the ice.

"Welcome to Kul'at, my friends. I hope your flight went smoothly," he said casually.

_You're gonna need more than that to convince these guys, buddy._ As though to prove what Dr. Hawes had just thought, the Arbiter seemed to scoff and shake his head. He stepped forward a little, and the massive brute next to him moved toward his spiker at his hip. "You'll need more than a façade and smile to win us over, prophet." He seemed to say the last word in disgust. Hawes almost found him more intimidating than the brutes, and was glad he was on humanity's side.

The prophet didn't move for several moments and said in his wheezy voice, "Of course. I understand how outraged your kind is after all that Truth had put you through. I truly apologize for his rash actions."

"_Rash actions?!" He tried to wipe out humanity!_ Hawes thought in outrage.

The Arbiter straightened and growled. "Your apologies mean nothing to me. And we will never forget what the Prophet of Truth did to us." He hesitated and then said slowly, "The only reason we've agreed to this treaty is because we will to stand by our brothers, the humans, and make sure that Truth's mistakes are never repeated."

Hawes blinked several times as he heard Arbiter refer to humanity as their brothers. He knew they were allies, but he never imagined the elite holding them in such high regard.

The prophet stayed silent for the several moments and then finally said, "Alaricus, there's no need to draw your weapons here. This is a peaceful meeting." Hawes almost laughed out of the absurdity of the statement. They hadn't been in the same room for more than five minutes and the prophet had already pissed off Arbiter. The prophet was completely serious though and said, "Well, I believe I should introduce myself and my friend here. I am the Prophet of Reclamation and this is the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, Alaricus."

Arbiter stepped back and stood in between Rtas 'Vadum and Fleet Admiral Thark. "I am Thel 'Vadam, the Arbiter, Kaidon of Sanghelios. This is Rtas 'Vadum, Fleet Admiral and my oldest comrade. This is Fleet Admiral William Thark, commander of the humanity's forces." Hawes then realized he was to be introduced too and stepped forward. "And this is Doctor Heinz Hawes, founder and leader of Novus Pacis." Hawes got chills hearing his name out of the mouth of such a well known war hero.

The prophet nodded to each one as his name was spoken and motioned to all the other unnamed individuals. "And, who are these fine fellows?" he said casually.

Thark introduced humanity's politicians and Rtas 'Vadum introduced the Sangheili Elders. Hawes was a little embarrassed by the politicians, as they seemed to cower as they met the prophet, while the elite councilors seemed fearless.

Again, the Covenant leader acknowledged each and every member and raised his hands in welcome as he said, "Well, let us adjourn to the council chambers to discuss this treaty."

* * *

_1530 Hours, December 21, 2558 (Military Calendar)\  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Kul'at, Capitol city, Council chambers_

Hawes yawned widely as he listened to the politicians droning on about their plans for the Covenant. Their voices echoed in the massive purple room that seemed extremely empty. It was large enough to fit hundreds of people and was barely only half full. Hawes spent have his time admiring the workmanship in the room and the other half listening to the demands of the Sangheili-Human alliance.

There was nothing too unexpected. The Covenant had to allow them access to vital natural resources. No attacking ships on the trade routes. When humanity or the Sangheili wanted to talk to talk to the prophet, he had to allow them safe passage to his planet. There were numerous other things that he never would have thought of, but it all seemed relatively fair.

The prophet nodded with each demand and looked at a scribe to write it all down. Hyroniemus stood behind him like a statue with his arms crossed and watched every movement the Sangheili honor guard made.

As the politicians made their last demand, the prophet nodded. "Very well. I believe we can adhere to those demands. Now, what is this about us living on the same planet?"

Thark stood and said, "To explain that, we have Dr. Hawes here."

Hawes took his cue as the Fleet Admiral once again took his seat and he stood. He cleared his throat loudly and said, "Well, we propose that all three of us shall inhabit the planet of Novus Pacis. There will be humans, Sangheili, and the different Covenant species there. But, the Covenant aliens must obey our laws and our rules, as it is our planet."

The prophet tapped his fingertips together and bobbed his head as he weighed the options. "Hmm. Interesting plan. Will the humans be forced to live among us?"

"No. We will tell them before they come that they will be living amongst Covenant species. We'll try to give people the choice."

"Yes." He thought for a moment before saying, "What will you do in the case of… violence between our kind and yours."

Silence filled the room before Arbiter stood and said, "Then we will deal with it as we see fit. Then, we will have another meeting with you to discuss what to do after that."

The prophet spread his hands and bowed his head. "Fair enough. Now, will we try to accomplish this right after we sign the treaty?"

Thark stood and said, "No, it may be a few years before we try to live together on the same planet. In the meantime, we will let people know about this plan and continue improving living conditions on the planet."

Just as the human took his seat, Arbiter rose. "We have also decided that it would be best if Sangheili lived amongst the humans before we integrate your kind. So they can get used to the idea." Hawes nodded as the alien took his seat. Good plan.

The prophet nodded and spread his hands in question. "Are there any other demands?"

Arbiter rose quickly and said in a loud, clear voice, "The destruction of the sacred rings."

Alaricus moved for the first time in the entire meeting and growled deeply. The Sangheili honor guard grew nervous and shifted slightly, which in turn worried the brute honor guard. Murmurs rippled through the crowd of soldiers, politicians, and councilors as Arbiter took his seat.

The prophet didn't move an inch until the room was again completely silent. After what seemed like hours, he said, "I can understand that demand, my friends." Another long pause before he said, "Very well. It shall be done. I'll send word to my best fleet masters—"

"That won't be necessary," interrupted Rtas 'Vadum. "I've already assembled my vessels and ship masters. They're awaiting my word, and then they'll decimate the rings and once again guarantee the safety of the universe."

The Prophet of Reclamation bowed his head in respect. "If you trust your elites to do the job, I cannot argue with that."

"Hell no you can't," Hawes heard himself mutter.

Silence stretched between the two sides until the prophet said, "Well, let us start finishing this treaty. Soon, we shall have an alliance between us, and the universe will experience a time of peace that it hasn't seen in years."


	7. Part II: Chapter 7: Insanity

**Okay, this is the start of the Part II and this part focuses more on the mysteries surrounding Novus Pacis. From here on out it's going to get a little more interesting!!! Enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**

* * *

**Part II  
****Chapter 7: Insanity**

* * *

_0245 Hours, July 19, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero_

Gunnery Sergeant Chris Overton groaned as he slowly awoke in his barracks. Judging from the darkness outside, the two red suns hadn't even risen yet. He sighed and sat up in his bed and rubbed his face in exhaustion. He wanted more than anything to simply lay back down and go back to sleep, but unfortunately, when Chris Overton woke up, he wasn't able to go back to sleep.

"Damn," he muttered as he reached for his boots and uniform jacket. Above him, Corporal Tyler Walkins muttered something in his sleep and rolled over. It had been five years, and he still hadn't managed to get promoted. Mostly because he still loved to play hooky even though he'd been punished nearly thousands of times.

Chris was careful not to wake his friend and grabbed his battle rifle. If nothing else, he could go for a small walk before the city began to stir. He checked to make sure his weapon was on safety and then stood and walked out of the barracks into the cold morning air. It always amazed him how much this planet was like earth.

As Chris opened the two massive doors leading out to the city and massaged his brow one last time, ridding himself of the last of the fatigue. As the doors slid open, he almost fell over as he ran into the massive form of a Sangheili soldier.

The giant turned around and said, "Oh, sorry, sir."

Chris sighed and walked by as he nodded. "It's no problem." It was incredible how much could change over the course of a few years.

The treaty had been completed on time and humanity celebrated a new year with another alien ally. But, some complications arose with announcement. Up until then, they'd managed to keep the peace talks a secret from most civilians. When the news got out, not everyone was happy. Riots broke out all across the human colonies over the matter. Most of the belligerents were people who still harbored deep hatred for the Covenant. Which, unfortunately, was almost everyone.

But, eventually everyone got used to the idea and the riot slowed down. After a few more improvements, Dr. Hawes informed Fleet Admiral Thark that Novus Pacis was now ready for a full-scale colonization. Once he sent the word out, people flocked to the planet. Most had lost their homes in the war and were looking for a new place to live. With this in mind, Thark and Rtas 'Vadum thought it best that only part of the planet be used for the integration of the Covenant species. That way, people who didn't want to live with the Covenant could still find a new home.

Still, that time was yet to come. Some people were still totally unaware of the alliance made between the Sangheili and humanity, and had to get used to living amongst giants. At their request, Thark decided to push back the date of the Covenant incorporation until at least August, 2563. But, the good thing was that the elites had offered to serve as law enforcement since the UNSC soldiers were stretched out across the galaxy.

Along with the all the activity on Novus, other colonies were also coming back to life. The army was also beginning to gain strength. The first recruits since the end of the war had graduated, and were spread across the galaxy to keep order in the growing colonies. The UNSC Navy was growing rapidly. In the wake of the war, many had lost their jobs, and when the government offered jobs to help build starships for the Navy, they jumped at the chance immediately. Ten new ships had just been finished, seven of which were on their way to Novus Pacis.

Chris smiled as thought of the Covenant arriving here and seeing how much they'd built on this planet after only living here for a few years. Then, he thought of them seeing the massive fleet they were amassing around their planet. As he headed out of the city, he grinned broadly. Oh yes, he was looking forward to August.

As he approached two Sangheili guards, he nodded to them and asked, "Night watch duty?"

One nodded and the other said, "The bane of our existence."

Chris almost burst out laughing at their wording and nodded again as they passed each other. He remembered back when he had that job. When Tyler would go AWOL and he would get in trouble. When the captain would catch him asleep on duty. Or when he'd fall asleep and wake up to find that someone had drawn a mustache on his face as a funny prank. Good times.

But, since he'd been promoted, he was in charge of protecting Dr. Heinz Hawes. Which was, honestly, an extremely boring job. He was loved by the people and the thought of someone actually trying to kill him was rather absurd. But, oh well.

Come to think of it, he should head over soon and make sure the night watch in that area was fully alert. He sighed and turned and headed back down the way he'd come. Maybe the barracks kitchen would be open.

A few minutes later, he stepped into the dimly lit building and looked around. It was completely empty save for a few officers that would soon check on night watch. In the kitchen though, he saw a few cooks preparing breakfast for over two thousand men and elites.

He grinned as he saw a friend of his and marched over toward him. "Hey, Porkman!" he shouted.

Oddly enough, that was the man's real name, and Chris was one of the few that actually called him by it. Sam Porkman was quite possibly one of the largest twenty year olds Chris had ever seen. He had on a greasy apron covered in messy hand prints; obvious evidence of him taking some of the food for himself. His nickname amongst the soldiers was "Porky". The man jumped slightly as he heard his name, and then relaxed as he saw Chris. "Hey, Gunny," he replied. "Gunny" was the common nickname for Gunnery Sergeants.

Chris walked over and leaned over the counter in front of him. "Hey, Sammy, think you could do me a solid? I don't wanna wait in the lines this morning."

Porkman had given Chris food before everyone else many times. In return, Chris convinced Walkins to give up some of his precious booze and give it to Sam. Plus, the man didn't have many friends anyways and Chris wasn't so low as to simply ignore the man when he wasn't doing him favors. Porkman glanced over at the soldiers and nodded his head toward the kitchen door. Chris grinned and headed over, having done this many times before. Moments later, Porkman opened the door and handed him a greasy box. "There you go, Gunny."

"Thanks." Chris glanced over at the two officers and said, "Hey, I'll get you some of the good stuff tonight. Thanks, man."

The large man simply nodded and disappeared. Chris did his best to hide the box as he exited the mess hall. He glanced around and quickly ducked into a small alley nearby and set his weapon down on a dumpster. Hmm, filthy allies already. Spero had the makings of a great city alright.

Chris paid the filth no mind though as he opened the box and grinned. Bacon, eggs, and a biscuit. Sam even threw in packages of butter, salt, and pepper. Oh, he'd get his booze alright. As Chris dug into the hot food, he thought about the day ahead of him.

Organizing Dr. Hawes's security troops. Taking orders, giving orders. Preparing emergency simulations. It all seemed so old. As he munched on the bacon, he thought about life on some other colony. Honestly, it'd probably be the same anywhere else. But, pretty soon the Covenant species would be integrated into society on Novus Pacis. That should make things rather interesting.

Minutes later, the two red suns just started to peak over the mountains in the distance. Chris took that as his cue and headed over toward Dr. Hawes's home. He nodded to the two guards there, strapped his battle rifle to his back, and entered into his home. It was very large and hardly filled with furniture at all. At least the front room was. Chris knew from experience that the old man spent most of his time in his office or on his balcony. He walked up the stairs, stopped at the door to Hawes's office, and rapped on the door lightly with his knuckles. "Dr. Hawes? It's Sergeant Overton."

He waited for a reply and after a while sighed and headed down the hall toward the balcony. There, he saw the old man leaning on the stone railing looking at the rising suns. Instantly, instinct took over and he straightened, saluted, and said, "Dr. Hawes."

Hawes merely sighed and said nothing else. Chris then dropped his hand and folded them both behind his back. After several long, relatively awkward minutes, he began to turn and leave. But, he heard a laugh and then, "Have you ever feared you were crazy, Sergeant?"

The question was so out of the blue and unexpected that Chris was afraid he might've heard the man wrong. But when he saw the serious look in the man's eyes, he knew he'd heard right. "Um, no, sir," he said with a shrug.

Hawes looked back at the rising suns and said, "I fear for my sanity, Sergeant."

Chris was slightly concerned with this confession and said, "Why, sir? You're not crazy."

The man ignored the statement and pointed toward the rising suns… or was it the mountains? "Years ago, when we first landed on this planet, I saw something fall from the sky. It… landed in the mountains. At least that's what it looked like." He glanced back at Chris who took another step forward. "Every night since then, I've come out here waiting to see it again. To see… something…" he trailed off and looked out across the landscape again.

Chris glanced over and then leaned on the stone parapet. "Well, why don't you go try to find it?"

Hawes laughed. "No. My security team would never let me."

Chris figured that he must've forgotten who he was talking to. He laughed a little and said, "Well, um… You're talking to the head of your security team…"

Hawes didn't move for a moment and then slowly looked at Chris. He smiled and turned around so his back was facing the mountains. "Sorry, Sergeant."

Chris shrugged and said, "I could… let you go to the mountains. For a little while at least."

Hawes sighed and shook his head. "I don't know. I mean, I have a lot of responsibilities here. I don't know if I can just leave."

The gunnery sergeant looked at the distant mountains and said, "Well, I could probably sneak you out some time. At night, of course."

The doctor glanced over his shoulder at the mountains and sighed again. "Lot of land to search…"

Chris laughed and said, "If this thing was as big as you say it was, I think we'll know it when we see it."

"It really wasn't that big, sergeant... And… I'm just… afraid that I'll get there and find nothing. What if I really am crazy? What if there was nothing?"

With a sigh, Chris stared at the mountains and said, "Well, there's only one way to find out."


	8. Chapter 8: Making Waves

**Thank you, Niroak for the nice review!!! =) I'm glad you're enjoying this story! Here's the newest chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Making Waves**

* * *

_1052 Hours, July 20, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Aboard Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser _Insurmountable Strength

The newly promoted Fleet Master Marcellus crossed his arms as he looked at the holographic projections of the Lambda Serpentis System. Somewhere out there was the Forerunner relic, and it was up to him and his fleet of six ships to find it. Behind him, he heard heavy footsteps and turned around.

A large brute major bowed down slightly and said, "Sir, the engines are overheating, we can't keep going at this rate."

Marcellus sighed as he massaged his brow and walked over toward another hologram. He tapped several buttons with his massive finger and asked, "Are we using the cooling systems down there?"

"Yes, sir. They're overheating, too."

The brute commander sighed as a holographic projection of his ship appeared. Toward the back his repulsor engine area and the coolant area near it were flashing red. Obviously a bad sign. What was worse was that almost every other ships was having the same problems. The commander studied it for a moment and then said, "Switch them off for a little while. We need to find that relic, but we can't do it with a crippled ship."

"Maybe you shouldn't be doing it after all," said a voice.

Both the brutes turned around to face Alaricus and then quickly executed low bows. Alaricus didn't acknowledge them as he walked past them and looked the holographic projections over. Marcellus waved the brute major away as he straightened and folded his hands behind his back. "Sir, I wasn't expecting you."

Alaricus said nothing at first as he looked at the many images. Then, said slowly, "The hierarch isn't pleased, Marcellus." He looked over his shoulder at the brute. "You need to hasten your search."

Ah, that explained the unannounced visit and his solemn mood. He wasn't pleased with the group's results. Marcellus gulped slightly and could feel his heart quicken as he stepped closer to his leader. "Well, sir, there's hundreds of possible locations." He pulled up the map of the system and motioned to all the dots marking it. "It's taken years just to search half of them, but we think we may have isolated it—"

"You want to explain to me why you're going to shut down the engines?" asked Hyroniemus, motioning to a large notice that read, "Engines Off" in bright red letters.

He really needed to turn all this off. Marcellus ran a hand over his face and said, "Well, they're overheating, sir. If we keep going at this rate—"

"Take a walk with me, Marcellus," Alaricus said quickly. Before the fleet master could say anything, his leader was stalking down the walkway and out the door. Marcellus practically had to jog to keep up. As he neared his commander, he began to speak, but was cut off by Alaricus. "Do you know why I chose you for this task, Marcellus?"

The brute fleet master blinked and said, "Um… no, sir."

"I chose you, because you're one of the best and fastest ship masters in the whole Navy. The hierarch and I thought we were only looking at a few months, but, it turns out that you're not as fast as we thought."

Marcellus sighed and said, "Sir, I'll find it eventually I just need more ships to search more areas at once."

The chieftain growled deeply. "Marcellus, any brute can find this relic given enough time. If you're telling me you can't find it quicker than any of them, then I really don't need you."

Marcellus gulped slightly and said in a shaky voice, "I can find it quickly, sir. But, I need more ships—"

"The prophet will give you more ships when he sees results. You need to show him that you're right for the job and that he won't be dedicating more ships into an unfruitful search. Until then, your current fleet should be enough."

"Sir, the ships are already being pushed farther than they were intended to be. The engines are _overloading_. I can't—"

Marcellus was cut off by Alaricus grabbing him and thrusting him against a nearby wall. The young commander was gratefully none of his crew was around to see this embarrassing confrontation.

"I don't give a damn about your futile excuses, Marcellus! Your inability to find the relic reflects badly on me! I chose you; I'm responsible for you; and if you can't find it quick enough, I'm blamed!" Alaricus released the young officer with a shove and growled slightly. "I cannot have that. I'm the new Chieftain of the Jiralhanae and my reputation is crucial." He bent down and grabbed Marcellus by the back of his neck and stood him up. "I will not have a young, undisciplined _ship _master threatening my good name. Understood?!"

Marcellus nodded fervently and shouted, "Sir, yes, sir!" like a terrified recruit. In all his life he'd never been so embarrassed. As he looked around, he saw that some of the crew had heard Alaricus shouting and had come to see the show. Almost all were older than him, and almost all would love to see him fall flat on his face for that very reason. Youngsters should not be commanding vessels.

But, Alaricus wasn't done yet. He poked Marcellus in the chest and hissed, "You find that relic soon. Or you'll suffer the consequences."

Marcellus gulped involuntarily as he thought about what the prophet could do to him. And no one would come to his aid. Again he nodded like a terrified child and said, "Yes, sir."

Alaricus turned and started leaving the ship but then turned and said, "As for your engine overload problem, fire one engine at full power and dedicate all of the coolant to it. Alternate so that one can cool while the other keeps the ship moving and heats up. Tell your helmsman to correct the trajectory, as your ship will inadvertently turn because of the imbalance."

Then, he left. Marcellus spotted the helmsman in the crowd and nodded to him. "Do as he says."

As the crowd dispersed, Marcellus headed to his chambers. Not only had he been chewed out in front of his elder crew members, but he'd been lectured like a pathetic child. Any _real _commander would have thought of that engine solution. Honestly, Marcellus didn't want this post anymore. Obviously he had no idea what he'd gotten himself into.

And, the prophet seemed to be just itching to have him killed. If there were gods, Marcellus seriously hoped they'd come to his aid.

* * *

_0956 Hours, July 21, 2563 (Military Calendar)\  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Kul'at, Capitol city, Council chambers_

Alaricus marched toward the prophet with a grim expression. The chambers were empty, and his heavy footsteps echoed in the massive room. Up ahead, the Prophet of Reclamation turned his gravity throne around and gave the massive brute a questioning look.

"It is done, sir," announced Alaricus as he neared. Once he was close enough, he executed a low bow and waited for the prophet to speak.

"Well done, Alaricus." The chieftain took this a signal to rise. The prophet waved him to follow and he willingly did. "Did he say he was getting any closer to locating the relic?"

The Jiralhanae sighed and said, "He said they'd searched half of them and they've isolated it to a certain part of the system."

"Good, good. And you told him to hasten his search?" asked the old San 'Shyuum.

"Yes, sir."

The prophet nodded and looked at him. "Alaricus, do you regret mentioning Marcellus to me?"

"Why would regret my decision?"

The prophet stopped. "My friend, we cannot let anyone know that we've found another relic. Humanity would be infuriated and the elites would surely destroy us for our treachery. Anyone who knows about this, besides you and me of course, must be killed."

The chieftain digested this information and finally said, "You'll kill Marcellus if he can't find the relic?"

The prophet nodded and said, "I'll kill whoever I must to preserve our secret."

Alaricus looked at the ground in thought. "Sir, would it really be so terrible if others knew?"

"We communicate with the humans regularly. If an incompetent jackal were to accidently tell them, it would be catastrophic." Reclamation actually smiled and folded his hands. "You care for Marcellus? Would you rather I _not _kill him?"

Alaricus instantly realized what the prophet was doing. He was testing his loyalty and willingness to carry out orders… even if that meant the death of a friend. The Jiralhanae had to be careful here. "Sir, it would sadden me to see such a bright young pilot killed. But… as your loyal servant, I will willingly do it."

The prophet didn't move, but simply said, "Alaricus, you do understand that as Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, it is your sacred duty to protect the Great Journey? We must keep this a secret or risk the Journey altogether." He gave the brute a piercing look and said, "If you don't feel up to this task, I will be happy to replace you."

When the prophet said "replace" he meant kill him. Alaricus was more than a little surprised by this statement. He and prophet were old friends, and to think that Reclamation was willing to kill him to preserve the Great Journey… Come to think of it, it would be easier if the brute were gone. That would leave the prophet to make all the decisions and be the supreme ruler.

Alaricus cleared his throat, made a fist, and covered his heart with it. "Sir, this position is more important to me than anything else I have. Friends and family mean nothing to me. I only live to serve you, my lord, and I will sacrifice whatever I must to please you."

The prophet didn't move a muscle at first. But, then he nodded and started moving down the hallway once again. "Very good, my friend. Now, to test this promise of yours, send word to Marcellus saying that if he can't find the relic quickly, then he will be dealt with… _severely_." The last word was a menacing hiss.

Alaricus was deeply saddened inside, but kept an emotionless expression. "Yes, sir," he said before turning around to go carry out his task.

But, the prophet shouted after him, "I hope you meant what you said, Alaricus." He smiled again and said in a cryptic voice, "Because I have a feeling that before all of this over, many will be sacrificed to protect the Great Journey."

* * *

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!! =D**


	9. Chapter 9: 1092 Contrite Foray

**Okay this chapter is kinda funny in some places. I wrote this around 1 or 2 in the morning so i was a little loopy. Hahaha. Anyways, i hope you enjoy is! Now, we finally get to know about the secrets of Novus Pacis.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: 1092 Contrite Foray**

* * *

_1800 Hours, July 21, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, Leaving the city of Spero_

Bits of grass and dirt flew up as the warthog raced across the open ground. As the suns set, a small trail of dust could be seen behind the vehicle. Two thick tracks on the ground were the only telltale signs of the warthog's passage. Gunnery Sergeant Chris Overton and Dr. Heinz Hawes were grateful for that.

After Chris had offered to take Hawes to the mountains to investigate and search for anything strange, he'd tweaked the security team, so he was the only one guarding Hawes tonight. The other soldiers thought it strange, but they got extra sleep. Who could argue with that?

Now, they were racing across the grassy landscape toward the mountains.

Hawes looked out across the landscape in a daze and muttered, "Well, time to see if this thing really exists or not."

Chris tried to pass the time and asked, "Where did you see it land, sir?"

"Not 'land'. More like… vanish, Sergeant." Hawes grinned as he glanced in his direction.

Chris smiled back and said, "What'd it look like?"

"Couldn't tell. It was on fire, probably from entering the atmosphere. I saw it fly behind the clouds… then… behind that first ridge there." He pointed ahead of them at the massive mountains. One dominated the scene, as it reached higher than the clouds. But, around it were small peaks covered with trees. Chris guessed the doctor was pointing to the very front one. It wasn't the smallest, but was nothing compared to the monster behind it.

The sergeant had a thought and asked, "Say, how big was this ship, sir?"

Hawes shrugged. "I don't know. Starship classifications aren't one of my areas of expertise."

_Starship what?! Why do these stupid geniuses have to make things so difficult to understand?! Wait… by using big, ridiculous words to explain rather simple things, they prove their intellectual superiority over the rest of society! Ah-hah!_

Chris shook his head harshly and sighed. Damn, he was tired. Only out of pure exhaustion could he rant about something like that. Hawes noticed him shaking his head, but said nothing. The soldier picked up the previous conversation. "Well, if this ship was big enough to be seen from miles away, I'm not so sure it could vanish like you say it did."

Hawes stared at the mountains and started yelling in protest, all the while talking with his hands like a mime. "No! It was there… then… it wasn't! It just vanished! There was no sign of it after that!" He stopped and gave Chris a harsh look. "What are you suggesting, sergeant? That I _imagined _it?"

The soldier actually shied away from the piercing glare and explained. "Sir, I'm just saying… are you sure it didn't go further into the mountains? How could something _so _big just disappear behind a mountain that small?" He laughed a little and shook his head. "Is it even a ship? What if it's an asteroid or something?"

Hawes sighed and looked at the massive peaks in front of them. "I don't know, sergeant. Can we please just get there and try to find out?"

Chris nodded and glanced at the fuel gauge. Plenty for them to get there and back. He nodded and massaged his brow in exhaustion. "Sure thing, sir."

* * *

_2015 Hours, July 21, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, Nearing the first peak_

Chris shook the doctor's shoulder as they pulled up toward the massive trees surrounding the mountains. Hawes had unfortunately fallen asleep during the drive, and left Chris to his outlandish, random thoughts in his exhausted mind. Pink elephant land couldn't be any weirder.

As Chris yawned now, he smacked the man repeatedly, totally disregarding the fact that he was one of the most important individuals in this very complicated and delicate situation with the Covenant treaty. Right now, he was just a stupid genius that needed to wake up.

Finally, he came to. "What the hell?!" he half-shouted.

"We're here," reported Chris as he stopped the vehicle. Without another word, he hopped out of the warthog and walked around to the old man's side. As the doctor slowly inched his way out of the car, Chris grabbed his battle rifle and strapped it to his back.

"Expecting trouble?" asked Hawes.

"Sir, I have learned to expect the unexpected and be prepared." That was probably the most intelligent thing he'd said all night.

The doctor nodded vaguely and rubbed his eyes as he asked, "So, where are we?"

The soldier was already stalking off toward the trees. "About a mile away from the mountain."

"A mile? Why so far?"

"In case you haven't noticed, nature has installed it's very own roadblocks," retorted Chris as he motioned to the massive tree trunks in front of them. He didn't even give it a thought that he was talking to the founder of a _planet_ like a kindergartner.

Still, the man didn't seem to mind it. "So, we're walking?"

"Afraid so, sir."

Before the old man could say anything more, the young sergeant was walking up the hill. He heard the older man run after him and then after a few hundred yards, his labored breathing. But, Chris needed to have him back before sunrise and the drive alone took more than two hours, so they couldn't slow down.

"Hey… can we… slow down or something?" came the exhausted and out of breath question. Damn mind reader.

Chris kept moving but shouted back, "No, sir. We gotta have you back before anyone notices and if you want to see this thing, we haven't got that much time." He heard a very exasperated sigh from behind and had to smirk. _That intellectual superiority ain't getting you anywhere now! _Just as the thought flashed through his mind, he shook his head angrily. _I need a coffee. _

As he reached the top of the hill, his exhaustion vanished and was soon replaced by pure amazement, shock, bewilderment, and. most importantly, realization. The doctor came trudging up from behind him and gasped loudly as he looked before them. "Sir," said Chris, startling himself with the sound of his voice. "I think we found something."

And they did. Stretched before them was a massive valley nestled between the two peaks. It wasn't a canyon by any stretch, but it certainly dipped lower than the level ground that they'd just raced across in the warthog. It stretched out for miles before them, and they could see the flat plains out behind it. It was wide too, separating the two peaks on either side by at least a mile. Trees were scattered about throughout the valley, but it wasn't a full forest.

Chris's words actually surprised him and confused him. They hadn't found _something, _they'd found absolutely _nothing_! Nothing, except for a slightly odd hidden valley. Besides that, there was nothing at all.

Hawes stuttered for a moment and pointed out at the valley. "Where's the… ship?"

Finally, it struck Chris: Where in the world was this mysterious ship? And if it fell here, why was their no sign of its damage to the landscape? Had the old man really imagined it?

Chris shook his head and just muttered, "I don't know." They stood in silence, trying to understand exactly what had happened. The soldier glanced at his watch and sighed. Plenty of time before dawn. Maybe they could look around a little. He was expecting them to find a massive crashed ship that the doctor would drool over for hours. But, since they found nothing, it couldn't hurt to let the old man try to prove to himself that he wasn't insane.

Then, when Chris looked up to tell the doctor, he was nowhere in sight. Shit. Chris jogged forward past a few trees to get a better look at the hill sweeping down into the valley. He scanned the grassy hillside and finally spotted the old man, running toward the bottom of the basin as if Chris were going to eat him.

Well, he'd certainly _kill _him if he didn't learn to be more careful and stay close.

The soldier stayed where he was and watched the old man stumble past boulders and through the tall grass until he finally fell on all fours once he'd reached the bottom of the hill. Chris took a step forward and made sure that the man was okay, but seemed to be examining the ground.

The sergeant watched the man a moment more before slowly heading down the hill after the doctor. As he neared the man, he saw that the man was crawling at a snail's pace across the ground, all the way feeling the ground and examining it closely. Chris kept his distance as he walked around the man, until finally, the mystified doctor stopped and sat up.

There was nothing but absolute confusion in the man's eyes as he looked at Chris. "There's nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just…. This makes no sense… How…?" he muttered as he looked at the ground again.

Chris shook his head as he walked around the man, looking up at the towering peaks. "I don't know, sir," he said absentmindedly. He looked at the small peak on his left and then at the monster to his right. There was something… off. He tilted his head and asked, "Doc, you think those mountains are a little odd?"

The old man glared at Chris. "What?" he hissed. "Sergeant, I'm a little more concerned with the fact that I saw something that apparently never existed! What are you event talking about?! Where are you going?!" he yelled as Chris pushed past him and walked toward the massive peak a ways away. "Sergeant!"

Chris ignored him as he jogged closer to the mountain. There was something just… strange about this mountain. It actually _reflected_ the sunlight in places. Was it pure diamond? Or some other precious stone? As he neared it, more questions swam through his head. Everything about this mountain was weird. It med the ground perfectly, as though someone had picked it up from somewhere else and set in the middle of this mountain range. That's another thing: it as right in the middle of all the other peaks. The "center piece" as it were.

Finally, he stopped at the base of it and looked up, vaguely aware of the doctor's voice penetrating into his head.

"Hey, Gunnery Sergeant Overton!" yelled the doctor next to him. "What the hell are you doing?"

Chris moved his face toward the old man, but never took his eyes off the mountain. "Does this mountain look weird to you?" Of course, the old man demanded to know what he was talking about. "Look at it! It's just… too perfect. No mountains are shaped like this."

Chris tore his eyes from the literally sparkling peak and looked at the doctor. He too was in awe as his eyes seemed to scan every inch of the impossibly tall mountain. Finally, he whispered, "It is. It's perfectly formed. It's almost like a…"

"… Pyramid," finished Chris.

It really did have the appearance of a pyramid. There were a few jagged pieces of rock sticking out on the sides… but they were perfectly spaced out… and symmetrical to others on each side. Chris eyed the pyramid and moved closer to eye it suspiciously. What was this made of? He reached his gloved hand out and ran it across the smooth surface and finally understood what it was.

"Metal."

"What?" asked the doctor.

But, the question was drowned out when they heard a series of clinking and clanking sounds. The doctor tripped over his own feet as he tried to get away from the mountain. Maybe he thought it was a rockslide. Chris stumbled back and watched the mountain _shift. _

"What the hell?" he asked out loud as metal plates shifted and moved about, disturbing the foliage that had grown over them. Then, a hole appeared at the base of the pyramid as metal shifted out of the way. It was as though the mountain were alive.

After a few more shifts and movements, the mountain was, once again, still. Except now, there was what appeared to be an entrance into the massive peak. It was partly triangular, but the points were flattened out, giving the doorway six sides. Then, it hummed with life.

Chris almost fell over as well as he stumbled back. Behind him, the doctor yelled, "What the hell did you do, sergeant?!"

"I didn't do anything! I just touched it!"

"Well, what the hell is this thing 'cause it's definitely not a mountain!"

"A mountain? Why, reclaimer, you've been terribly misinformed." The voice come from _inside_ the mountain.

This time, the doctor damn near fainted. The sergeant raised his forgotten battle rifle and pointed it at the doorway, ready for anything. But, when the small, blue orb flew out, he didn't shoot.

_What the hell is going on?!_ He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as the orb drew nearer.

A massive blue eye in the center of it looked down at his weapon and then right into Chris's eyes. "Reclaimer, why the hostility?"

Chris faltered. Was this… robot… seriously taking a _tone_ with him?! How could it… even do that in the first place? Machines are lifeless, emotionless, heartless devices. He licked his lips nervously and watched it closely.

"What are you?" asked Hawes. The sudden sound of the man's voice made Chris jump.

The orb looked at Hawes, but didn't move otherwise, and replied, "I'm the monitor of this installation. My creators named me 1092 Contrite Foray."

Chris grimaced. "'Contrite Foray'? What kind of name is that?"

The orb, Foray, actually seemed taken aback. "Why, the Forerunners gave me my name. And everything they do is perfect."

"Right," Chris dragged out the word. Then he grinned. "So I assume creating you was great too, huh?" The question was dripping with sarcasm. _Let's see how the robot handles that._

"Of course!" the device said in a serious voice. Obviously the orb didn't grasp sarcasm.

Hawes finally stood and stepped closer to the machine and eyed it closely. "Incredible…" he muttered. A moment later he blinked and asked, "What are you?"

The orb looked at the man closely. "I believe I already answered that question. But, again, I am 1092—"

"No! We know your name and your purpose. But what _are _you?"

Finally, the device seemed to understand. "Reclaimers, I am a Forerunner monitor. Sent here to protect this installation."

Chris strapped his weapon back onto his back, seeing that this thing wasn't aggressive. Confused and psychotic maybe, but not aggressive. "What do you mean by 'installation'? And why do you keep calling us 'reclaimers'?"

Foray looked down at the ground and then back up at them. "I'd assumed you knew…" He paused and said, "You are the inheritors of everything my creators left behind. We're the same you and I."

Chris shook his head and the doctor said, "We can't be the same."

"Yeah, you're… um…" The soldier tapped Foray's metal head with his finger and let that complete his sentence. He wasn't fleshy basically.

The orb jerked away from Chris' finger and made the two men jump as well. "I may be made of metal and not be alive, but my creators were _very _much alive. And much like you." He said nothing and when he saw that the humans weren't going to say anything either, he pressed on. "As for your question about why I refer to this place as an installation: I call it what it is, my friends."

Hawes blinked. That didn't clear things up one bit. Rather, it raised more questions.

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Chris.

The orb sighed. "Your ancestors created the rings as a safeguard against the Flood. But, they also created planets with the same abilities even before the rings. So they could live on the installation and protect it. Before they first fired the rings, they left the planets in natural orbits, until they could be useful again. This planet is one of them. Installation 02A."

Hawes knew vaguely about the rings and Flood. He knew that humanity fought to make sure that the rings were never fired. His heart began to pound as he started to fear the worst. "When you say these planet installations have the same… 'abilities' do you mean that they can kill all life in the galaxy?"

"Why, reclaimer, what else could I possibly mean?"

"And that structure there," he said as he pointed at the metal pyramid. "what's that?"

"The Library."

"Ah, will you excuse us?" asked Hawes as he grabbed Chris's arm and yanked him away. Chris protested, but followed anyways. Finally, the doctor stopped them and nodded toward the pyramid and it's "monitor". "We gotta problem."

"What?" Chris asked. Honestly, he'd checked out of the conversation several minutes ago. Not because he couldn't understand what was going on, but because he simply didn't get what all this had to do with him.

"That pyramid, this whole _planet, _is a weapon." He paused and licked his lips. "During the Human-Covenant war, thousands of marines gave their lives making sure the rings didn't fire. Well, if we listen to what that thing says, it will all have been for nothing."

Okay, now Chris was lost. He shook his head and asked, "What? How?"

"Listen, I know the little bugger is friendly, but he really wants to activate this thing and destroy all life in the universe."

"So… why doesn't he just do it?"

"He can't. He needs a reclaimer to do it."

"Shit." Chris then understood and looked back at the orb. "Little bugger. He's gonna trick us into doing it."

"Well, not intentionally. He'd never want to deceive a reclaimer." Chris didn't fully understand what the doctor meant by that, but he stayed quiet. The old man continued. "We need to get him to shut this thing down and we can't tell anyone."

"What? Why not? People need to know of the danger," argued Chris.

"No." Sighed and turned away with his hands on his hips. "Don't you get it? There are a lot of people out there who don't understand this power would love to destroy the Covenant." He looked at Chris out of the corners of his eyes. "What do you think they'd do if they knew that there was a massive weapon that they could so easily get their hands on?"

Finally, the sergeant understood. He nodded absentmindedly as he thought of the possibilities. He glanced again at the orb, who apparently hadn't seen the outside world since he was looking around. "What if the Covenant knew?"

"It would spark a new war, my friend," Hawes said slowly.

* * *

**Dun, dun, dun!!! Hahaha yup. And ya Chris isn't dumb, Hawes is just actually a genius so he makes normal people look totall stupid. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

**Ya i know i didn't answer the question about the thing he saw crash there. But that question will be answered soon enough!**

**PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!**


	10. Chapter 10: Allies, Patterns, Confusion

**Sorry this update took so long, you guys! I know it's short but stay with me. I'm working on new chapters as we speak! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Allies, Patterns, and Confusion**

* * *

_1526 Hours, September 25, 2562 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, Orbiting Earth, UNSDF Orbital Defense Platform London Station_

Admiral Brewster tapped his finger on his desk in anticipation. Admiral Natalie Lanasky had said that she'd found something interesting and would bring her findings by to discuss them with him, but she was late. Vorster had also called saying that he would come around for the meeting, but didn't specify as to when he'd be there… or whether or not he even knew when this meeting was supposed to be.

In case one of them burst in unannounced, he tried to make himself seem as calm and collected as possible. He straightened and cleared his throat as he looked around his small office. Oh, how he would love to have Thark's office. He'd have it someday…

He shook his head as he tapped his fingers in a continuous rhythm. _Tap, tap… tap, tap, tap… tap, tap… _Brewster stretched his cramping fingers and folded his hands on his desk. The constant sound was driving him crazy. The rhythm still resounded in his head.

As Brewster sighed deeply, Lanasky burst into his office. The man tried not to jump as she stalked toward him and threw an electronic pad on his desk and sat in one of the comfortable seats across from his desk.

He smiled and tried to keep his hand from shaking as he grabbed the device. "Rough day?" he asked with a smirk.

"Shut up and pull up the file," she snapped.

_Yup, bad day, _he thought to himself with a smile. He obeyed though and pulled up the file. A long list of names scrolled out before him and he shook his head in confusion. "What's this?" he asked.

"A list of possible allies." She smiled and leaned forward. "You told us to make friends in high places and so, I compiled this list of possible resources."

Brewster grinned as he looked at some of the names. "Head of the records department? Internal affairs? Security? Hmm." He looked up at her. "Good work, Natalie."

"Thank you, Tony," he replied with a smile. Without saying anything, she tapped a small button on the pad and several names were highlighted. "These are the ones that we already approached and they have joined."

Again, he looked at the names. "A lot of these are intelligence officers."

"I thought it would help if we got our hands on all the information first and we could filter out anything that we didn't want your buddy Thark to know about."

The smile vanished as Lanasky mentioned his best friend's name. He looked at her darkly and said, "Well, we won't have to worry about him soon."

Concern flickered on her face for a moment but vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. Better not to ask. Even if she did, she'd carry out his orders without question. She hated Thark almost more than he did.

But, with the subject dropped she tilted the pad toward her so she could read some of the names. "Look at this one," she said, pointing at two names.

He read out loud, "Commander Collins, scientist and mathematician. Mathematician? Do you need help counting, my friend?" he asked, laughing at his own joke. Lanasky had a smirk plastered to her face and he instantly realized she knew something he didn't. He sighed and said, "Okay, fill me in."

"Well, some people in my intelligence department have been tracking a Covenant battlecruiser called the _Insurmountable Strength. _Apparently this ship has been hopping all over the Lambda Serpentis System. At first, we thought it was looking to colonize, but when we investigated some of the places it visited, we realized that couldn't be it. Some of the planets are obviously not suitable for life. They're up to something else." She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

Brewster had no idea what this had to with this Commander Collins and shook his head in agitation. "Get to the point, Natalie." Brewster was beginning to understand that Lanasky loved the sound of her own voice.

She sighed. "Well, we were looking for some sort of pattern to connect the planets, but that's not our area of expertise. But, mathematicians are very good at detecting patterns—"

"So you brought Collins on board…" muttered Brewster.

"Exactly. He found that each place had a high energy signature. He made a map of all the places that they've been to and the places that remain." He again tilted the pad so she could see it and hit another button.

Brewster watched a digital map of the LS System appear with markers on each possible location. Some of them were crossed out, signaling that the Covenant had looked there, but obviously didn't like what they'd found.

Brewster scratched his head and said, "Do you think they're looking for something?" Lanasky nodded silently, her eyes looking at the pad still. The man looked at some of the places and was surprised to find that Novus Pacis was marked. "Novus has the same signature as these other places."

"I know," was the simple reply.

_Of course you know. _"You think they'll land there?"

Lanasky's eyebrows raised and a smug grin appeared. "Sir, they're going to inhabit that planet soon."

This concerned Brewster and he stroked his chin in thought. What were they looking for? Was this a possible attack on Novus Pacis? Were they gathering allies or supplies? He sighed and looked at her. "Nothing makes sense anymore, Natalie."

"I know that all too well, Tony."

He sighed as he leaned back in his chair and ran his hands through his hair. "First the colonization of Novus Pacis, the peace talks, the Covenant doing something behind our backs… Although that's not too shocking is it?" he asked with a grin.

The intelligence officer returned the grin and said, "Yeah, that has 'Covenant' written all over it." They stayed silent for a moment, thinking about all that had happened in the last few years.

"Knock, knock," said a voice. Both of the officers looked up to see the newly promoted Major Brian Vorster leaning against the doorpost. Since they'd first recruited him, he'd grown more confident and was willing to help them in any way possible. But, he was still, first and foremost, Tony Brewster's friend, and was still looking out for his safety. He strutted over to one of the other armchairs and plopped down in it contently. "So, what are we talking about?"

Brewster and Lanasky then filled him in all the new news. The recruits in the different departments, the Covenant hopping around, the strange energy signatures, and then that Novus Pacis was on the map. All the while Vorster just stared at his folded hands in his lap. When the story was done, he didn't say anything at first. Then, he simply muttered, "Well, damn." Then he laughed a little.

Brewster laughed a little too. It all was really insane. Then, the marine sighed and stroked his chin. "There's one thing I don't get though: What are they after? Do we have any idea?"

Lanasky shrugged and pursed her lips. "We have no idea. We're not even sure _they_ know what they're after."

"Oh, they know alright," interjected Brewster as he looked at the map again. "This is all too specific. They're looking for something important. They're willing to try and go behind our backs to get it."

Vorster nodded and looked at Lanasky. "Maybe what you could do is measure how powerful these energy signatures are and then compare them to things associated with the Covenant. Maybe we'll figure out what they're after and we can find it first."

Brewster smiled and nodded to Lanasky. "Do it. Good thinking, Brian." Vorster nodded and silence filled the room as they all got lost in thought. Finally, Brewster said, "Brian, can you assemble a team to follow the Covenant? Secretly?"

Vorster shrugged. "Yeah, sure. But I'll need a promotion and a ship."

Brewster nodded and smiled. Luckily for the marine, he had friends in high places. And thanks to Lanasky's new buddies, they could arrange everything perfectly. The man smiled and clapped his hands together once. "Well, let's hop to it."


	11. Chapter 11: Replacements

**Chapter 11: Replacements**

* * *

_0857 Hours, July 28, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Kul'at, Capitol City, Council chambers_

Alaricus grimaced slightly as he saw the prophet enter the empty chambers. He bowed to hide the saddened expression on his face as the old alien neared. Their task today would not be a pleasant one. But, despite that, the Prophet of Reclamation still had a large smile plastered to his face. He tapped his fingertips together and said in his wheezy voice, "Alaricus, welcome."

"Sir," muttered the brute as he stepped closer to the San 'Shyuum.

The smile got wider as a hologram of a brute honor guard appeared on his gravity throne. "Sir," it said. "Fleet Master Marcellus has arrived."

"Good. Send him in," replied the prophet coolly. He glanced at Alaricus and said, "I hope you'll enjoy this just as much as I will, my friend."

Moments later, the massive doors whooshed open to reveal the young Marcellus marching in. Alaricus sighed quietly as he thought about the young Fleet Master's fate. He still had no idea that he was marching toward his death.

The young officer bowed in front of the prophet and said, "Sir, it's an honor to meet you in person."

"Likewise, my friend," said the prophet. "Alaricus has told me… so much about you."

Marcellus blinked several times and looked at his chieftain in confusion. The San 'Shyuum was obviously waiting for a response, so the hesitant brute answered, "Well… thank you, sir."

Alaricus simply looked away as the prophet asked, "So, how goes the search for the relic?"

All the Jiralhanae chieftain could do was pray for the young officer and hope he could convince the prophet that he onto something. Otherwise… he wouldn't be long for this world.

Marcellus shrugged a little. "We've been searching for a while now… as you know…" The officer then struggled to decide what to say, and Alaricus again prayed for the officer. "But, we think we've narrowed it down to a small part of the galaxy, sir."

The prophet nodded but didn't move otherwise. "So, why haven't we found it if you've narrowed down its location?"

Marcellus looked a little worried and cleared his throat. "Well… it's a considerably large system, sir. That map you gave me had hundreds of possible locations and while we have narrowed that down, there are still many possibilities. Perhaps if I had more ships… sir," choked out Marcellus at the end.

Alaricus shook his head, but ever so slightly so as not to be noticed, as he listened to the young officer. The prophet wasn't interested in hearing any excuses let alone demands for more ships. And the worst thing he could do was try to blame the San 'Shyuum and say it was his fault, which was exactly what Marcellus was doing. But, interjecting and trying to defend the young officer could very well mean the death of him. Reclamation had proved many a time that he would sacrifice anyone to preserve his Great Journey.

Now, the old alien nodded again and stared the young brute down. "So, you have no idea yet where this relic is?"

"Well, sir…" started Marcellus. But, seeing the angered expression on the prophet's face he sighed and simply admitted, "No, sir."

The prophet thought for a moment and then said, "Marcellus, did you believe you were one of the fastest ship masters in the Navy?" He put emphasis on the past tense.

"Yes, sir."

"Well, evidently, Alaricus thought the same... but both of you were wrong." The old alien threw the chieftain a piercing glare. "Now, we have lost valuable time, my friends." Marcellus seemed to shrink in front of the San 'Shyuum. Quite like a young student awaiting punishment from a teacher. Alaricus gulped slightly, knowing that he could very well be punished too. With a sigh, the prophet massaged his temples and said, "Marcellus, you are removed from your post. Your inability to carry out a simple task has cost you your high position and influence." He sighed and straightened slightly as he stared the officer down. "You may leave me, Marcellus. You will soon learn of your fate."

Marcellus's eyes widened and he looked at the ground in shock. Almost in a trance, he executed a sloppy bow and walked out of the room. Alaricus closed his eyes in defeat.

Marcellus was dead.

But, the Jiralhanae turned to his leader and asked casually, "What have you planned for him?"

A smile spread across the San 'Shyuum's face. "I'll tell the others that he was accused of treason." He turned his gravity throne toward Alaricus and said coolly, "He'll be hung by entrails and paraded about for the other officers to see. He'll be an example."

Alaricus couldn't help himself and growled. "Yes, sir. Is there anything else you need from me? I can find another ship master to lead the search."

"No, I think I'll handle that myself." He looked at Alaricus harshly. "We wouldn't want to find another useless officer and waste more time now would we?"

Again, Alaricus growled slightly before bowing and stalking out of the room. He barely noticed the other Jiralhanae marching into the room. As the doors shut, behind him, the new brute smiled and spread his arms out wide. "It's good to see you again, sir," he boomed in his deep voice before bowing.

"Likewise, Ptolemaeus. How are you my old friend?" asked Reclamation.

Fleet Master Ptolemaeus sighed. "It's been hard since the end of the war. My brutes thirst for action." He was much older than Marcellus, a well-known fleet master, and he and the prophet were old friends from the war. Mostly known for his ruthlessness in the heat of battle. The brutes under his command had grown to be the same way.

The prophet smiled. "Well, I have a task for you, Ptolemaeus."

The brute smiled all the wider and leaned in closer. "I'm your humble servant, my lord."

"You see, I need you to find something for me…" The prophet then proceeded to brief Ptolemaeus on the Forerunner relic on how important it was that it be found. He also informed him of Marcellus's fate and warned him that he could also die should he not find it. The Jiralhanae had faced many dangers in his time and was glad to have a challenge.

"I'll do it," he announced confidently.

"Very good." The prophet then hit several buttons on his gravity throne and removed a holographic projection card. "Here, this is a map of the possible locations. All the notes and markings that Marcellus made are still on there."

The brute accepted the chip with a nod and tucked it into a small pouch at his hip. "Thank you, sir."

The prophet moved a little closer and said, "There's more, Ptolemaeus."

The brute nodded and folded his hands behind his back. "Yes, sir."

"Alaricus. He's become a… problem." The Jiralhanae asked how so. "He shows genuine remorse for those that must be killed to preserve the Great Journey. We can't have that."

The fleet master nodded. "It's his duty to protect the Great Journey. He should be grateful to have an honoring position."

The prophet nodded. "Yes, I know. I tested him with the death of Marcellus. He seemed very saddened and even angry at my decision." He shook his head. "You know I can't have that."

"Of course not, sir," said the Jiralhanae confidently and without hesitation.

"So, as you keep looking for the relic I want you to test Alaricus. Do everything you can to make him say out loud that I made a mistake. I don't want him in the picture anymore but I can't simply kill him without a reason. He's the leader of all the Jiralhanae and there would be too many questions if I did that."

The fleet master nodded his understanding. "You want me to help you justify his death."

"Exactly." He linked his fingers and nodded toward Ptolemaeus. "So, you'll help? There could be a very nice reward for you if you do."

The Jiralhanae needed no further encouragement and nodded fervently. "Of course, sir."

Reclamation nodded and sighed deeply as he massaged his brow. "Now, we have another issue to worry about: The Covenant integration on Novus Pacis."


	12. Chapter 12: Shifting

**Sorry this update took so long! :( I've been so busy lately and i've hardly gotten a chance to work on anything. Anyways, here's the new chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Shifting**

* * *

_0632 Hours, August 1, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero _

Chris sighed as he watched the massive ships fly overhead. The Covenant landing vessels had finally arrived, and to say that the civilians of Novus Pacis were a little nervous would be a massive understatement. Every soldier on Novus had received a notice that warned them about riots and other such things. Many of the human soldiers there were untested, since they'd joined after the war, and this would be their first chance to see some action.

A massive assault carrier flew overhead, no doubt filled with Covenant colonists. The roar it made was almost louder than the hustle and bustle made within Spero. The ground shook as it passed and flew over the mountains.

Ah, the mountains. They were still a mystery to Dr. Hawes and Chris. After they'd returned, Hawes swore him to secrecy and immediately went to his office and began reading everything the records had on the Forerunners. Personally, Chris thought that they should go back to the structure and simply consult the Contrite Foray. Who better to answer questions concerning the Forerunner than a Forerunner? But, Hawes warned him not to go back and that was that.

At least now he had something to take his mind off of it. The Covenant coming would sure bring the excitement level up a notch. But, to his chagrin, no one would be living in Spero. At Hawes's request, Covenant wouldn't be landing there so that it could remain _humanity's _capitol city of the planet. Since it was basically his planet, the UNSC had to do as he said.

Behind him, Tyler Walkins walked up and clapped Chris on the shoulder. "Hey, buddy," he said with a slight slur.

"Hey, ma—" Chris stopped abruptly as he looked at his friend. He had his duffel bag slung over his shoulder and his clean assault rifle in his hands. "What's with… this?" he asked, motioning to the man's gear.

"They're shipping me to Noceo. Apparently they need some human reinforcements," he said casually while reaching for his whiskey flask.

Noceo was the closest city to the mountains and one of the newest cities. As such, many humans had flocked there, seeking the less crowded towns to settle down. It soon became very large and a prime integration location. Chris could see how more soldiers would be needed, but he was sad to see his friend go. He tried to joke about the matter and pointed to the flask. "Still gonna go for the booze runs?"

Walkins laughed a little and Chris got a whiff of the alcohol on his breath. "Yeah, man! I just gotta find a new place to get it from." He started to take another drink but stopped and smiled. "Unless I can get on warthog guard duty. Then I could come back to my old buddies and visit you, man."

Chris laughed a little. "Well, just take care of yourself alright? I hear Noceo is a little rough right now."

"I'll be alright." As a pelican flew overhead, he sighed and said, "Well that's my transport. I'll see you later, okay?"

Chris shook the man's hand for a moment and nodded to him. "See ya."

As Tyler walked away he stopped and turned around abruptly. "Hey, tell Porky I hid a stash of booze for him behind the kitchen. It's all his now."

Chris waved and nodded. "I will."

Then, Tyler boarded the pelican and headed off toward Noceo. For Chris, things just got very boring. Spero wasn't as exciting without Tyler's ridiculous schemes to get his hands on whiskey. Things wouldn't the same anymore.

With a sigh, Chris headed over to Dr. Hawes's massive home. He nodded to the two men at the door and headed up toward the man's hideout. He stopped at the heavy metal door and rapped on it with his knuckles. "Sir? It's Sergeant Overton."

No answer. He must be on the balcony.

Chris headed up to it and stopped when he saw the old man. He was sitting in one of the comfortable chairs, twirling a pen through his fingers, with papers scattered everywhere around him. "Sir?" he asked casually.

The man's head snapped up and he sighed deeply as he saw Chris. "Ah, sergeant. How's the Covenant colonization going?"

Chris shrugged as he walked over and leaned on the stone parapet of the balcony. "Alright, sir. I'm honestly glad that they're not coming to Spero."

Dr. Hawes laughed a little and nodded. "Yeah I saw enough Covenant at the peace talks. Although I had to suggest the idea, I don't want to live near the monsters."

Chris laughed and looked out at the mountains. "Neither do I." He sighed as he looked at the pyramid outlined by the rising sun. Then, he glanced at the doctor. "Finding anything new, sir?"

Hawes sighed and tossed his pen on the table. "This is so confusing," he muttered.

Chris looked over his shoulder at the information. He pointed to one picture and asked, "What's that?"

"A Forerunner library."

"But… that looks nothing like the Library we saw," said Chris.

Hawes shrugged and picked the picture up. "Contrite Foray said that this planet… this _installation _was built a long time ago. Maybe they weren't as sophisticated back then. There are still some similarities. Both have very angular architecture and seem to be made of the same metal. It's definitely Forerunner."

"Well, no shit, genius," countered Chris, forgetting that he was talking to a superior.

Hawes didn't notice though as he tossed the picture down on the table and stood to go pace. "This… complicates everything, sergeant." He sighed as he stopped and looked at the mountains. "Covenant are living here now and I'm sure that if they knew that this planet was a weapon, they'd try to use it. And it's only a matter of time before they find out."

"Can't we send them away or something?"

The old man scoffed. "We've been planning and preparing for this integration for years. We can't just simply send them all packing."

"Could we guard the mountains? Keep them out?"

Another scoff. "I think the prophet would figure out what we're up to and send in the troops. They're religious nut-jobs. They'll do anything for their 'Great Journey'."

"No kidding," said Chris, thinking back on the war that had been started so the Prophet of Truth could protect the idea.

The doctor sighed. "I'm so confused right now."

"Better than thinking you're insane though," laughed Chris.

Hawes laughed a little. "Yeah, well I still didn't find out what happened to that ship that crashed there." He sighed.

The soldier shrugged. "Well, maybe we could go back and talk to Foray about it."

Hawes shook his head. "No, I think it's smart for us to stay away from there. He might trick us into activating this installation." He paused and sighed. "I'm not even sure we can tell anyone about it." Another long silence, the only sound was Chris flipping through papers. "Maybe… we _should_ tell someone…"

Chris laughed and stopped sifting through the information. "What happened to 'we can't tell anyone', sir?"

"I don't know anymore. I mean, it was simple at that moment in time but now that I've thought about it, this is really bad. Really dangerous. We're living on a weapon that has the power to destroy all life in the universe."

"Damn, it can do all that?" asked Chris, scanning over a report on the rings.

"Hell, yeah. You didn't know?"

"Nope. I'm a grunt. I'm just supposed to shoot and not ask questions."

Dr. Hawes hesitated before asking, "What should I do? Tell someone or not?"

Chris looked up. "What about that last statement did you not understand?"

"You said you can't _ask _questions. You never said anything about _answering_ them."

Chris groaned. "Ugh. Sir… I don't know. But I think you're right not to tell anyone. Remember about what you said about people who would love to destroy the Covenant but don't understand the Forerunner power. Man, most of the people on this planet would love to destroy the Covenant. I'm not so sure you need to worry about the prophet here. They're not even reclaimers; they can't turn on this light bulb."

"Interesting wording there," muttered the old man. He sighed and looked at the mountains again before sitting in another chair next to the one he'd been sitting in earlier. "I get what you're saying. But people need to know about the danger."

Chris sighed. Their hands seemed to be tied. The Covenant would find out soon enough and that would be hell. But, if they told the people of Novus Pacis, that could also be a huge problem. He shook his head and started gathering up the information. "Sir, maybe you should let this go. I mean, you've got more important things to—"

"What could be more important than the fate of the galaxy?" interrupted the old man. He shook his head and inhaled deeply. "I'm… going to go see Admiral Thark. I'll tell him."

Chris stood and shook his head. "Now, sir that may not be the brightest idea. If people here hate the Covenant enough to try and activate that thing, someone higher up in the food chain would be a seriously dangerous force to be reckoned with."

"Well, I'll meet with him in secret. No one else will know."

"And what about after that?" asked Chris.

"That… we'll figure later. Right now, we've got to warn Admiral Thark. Before something _really_ bad happens."

* * *

**Hope you liked! Please Review!!!**


	13. Chapter 13: Catalyst

**Hey guys! Again, sorry the updates have been so slow lately. I hardly have any time to write anymore. :( But anyways, enjoy this chapter! I know it will raise some questions but they will be answered in due time! Thanks, guys! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Catalyst**

* * *

_1756 Hours, August 1, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Noceo_

Corporal Tyler Walkins took a quick drink of his whiskey and sighed as he stretched out on his cot in the empty barracks. He had night watch duty and was dreading that time he would spend standing outside of the city. It was fun back in Spero, there was an outpost only a few miles away with an endless supply of booze. But, the only interesting thing in Noceo was the mountains… and the Covenant of course but he steered clear of them.

Being one of the newer cities, Thark and Hawes thought that having a large amount of Covenant there would help the city develop in a more interesting way. A more alien way. Many humans flocked there when it was established, and the Covenant weren't far behind. They'd only been on Novus Pacis for a few hours and already the first immigrants were at the city's doorstep.

Tyler could even tell that this would be a problem and he knew nothing about politics or economics. There would soon be overcrowding. Noceo was a young city, and therefore still very small. It was already beginning to get too crowded with the humans, but adding Covenant to the mix was a recipe for disaster.

Tyler shook his head as the suns finally disappeared. He wanted to go back to Spero. He missed Chris, Porky, and his other booze buddies at the barracks there. The thought made him take a large swig before tucking the flask into a cargo pocket on his hip.

Time for night watch duty… again. His commander had thought that as the "new kid" night watch duty would be a good chance for him to get settled into his new home and learn the ropes. _Honestly, all I've learned is that the colonel is a bastard with a poor sense of humor,_ he thought to himself angrily.

"Still mad at Harkins for giving you night watch duty, Tyler?" asked a voice. Tyler whipped around to see Private Teddy Brought with a cigarette in his mouth. The young soldier had volunteered to show Tyler around and the two quickly became friends. Teddy was also excited about having found someone with access to alcohol.

Tyler laughed and stood, reaching for his weapon. "Did I say that out loud?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. I walked up and heard something about a bastard with a poor sense of humor. The first person to come to mind was the colonel," explained the kid as he took a long drag on the cigarette.

Colonel Harkins obviously wasn't very popular amongst his troops then. Many said that he used to be the most laid back soldier in the whole Marines Corps, but after his family was killed by the Covenant, the man quickly changed; and for the worse too. Living amongst the Covenant obviously did nothing to improve his moods.

Tyler laughed slightly and checked his weapon to make sure it was loaded. "It's a shame really. I used to love night watch duty 'cause I could sneak out and get booze. Now I have nothing to do except actually do my job," he complained.

"Oh, God forbid!" Teddy laughed at his friend and removed his armor before falling on his cot. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cigarettes and lit another.

"Teddy, do you have any idea what those things do to you?" asked Tyler, shaking his head.

"Yup, but I started in high school and I can't quit. So deal with it," retorted the young man. "Besides _I_ have to deal with you and your alcohol."

"You _benefit_ from me and my alcohol, Teddy," said Tyler with a laugh. He finished checking his weapon and strapped it to his back before grabbing an M6C/SOCOM and loading it loudly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to guard the city and protect your ass." He smirked and started to walk out of the barracks.

Teddy shouted after him in a high pitched voice, "Oh! Tyler, you're my hero!"

As the boy laughed hysterically at himself, Tyler muttered, "That boy hasn't got enough brains to protect himself anyways."

The walk to the guard towers is a short, albeit, busy one. The barracks is close to the center of the city and therefore, soldiers have to push and shove their way through the busy streets of the slums where the majority of the city's populations lives.

Walkins grunted as an old lady elbowed him in the ribs, trying to get past him and back home. He frowned and looked over the heads of large crowed of people. Only a few hundreds meters to go. If these old ladies and kids could get through this crowd, he certainly could. After a few long minutes, he sighed and walked over to one of the guard towers.

Spotting Colonel Harkins, he hustled over and stopped a few feet behind the man. He waited patiently for the man to turn around. When he did, he saluted smartly and shouted, "Corporal Tyler Walkins, at your service, sir!"

"Oh, shut the hell up. I'm right in front of you, you don't need to shout," snapped the man. A deep frown was etched in his face, and it occurred to Tyler that he'd never seen the man smile. He was torn from his thoughts as the man pointed with his thumb behind him. "Just go start your patrol, Walkers."

"It's… um… Walkins, sir," he corrected.

"Does it look like I give a damn? Just go begin your patrol!" yelled Harkins.

Tyler nodded and tried not to utter any of the profanities running through his head at that moment. Instead, he grunted as he walked past the man and headed toward the outskirts of the city. _Stupid bastard,_ he thought to himself as he began walking past the tall buildings around him.

After the first lap, he looked at the mountains longingly. He'd never actually seen mountains before. The planet he was from was unusually flat, and when he enlisted, he spent the majority of his career in space. Before coming to this planet, he'd never seen a mountain before. Now, he wanted to see them up close, as well as spite his commander. So, he left his patrol, and advanced up a hill toward the mountains.

He quickly put his pistol away and reached for his whiskey flask, determined to enjoy his escape, even if it meant demotion. Darkness fell over the forest and the trees seemed determined to trip him up. He stumbled over a large root and grunted as he dropped his whiskey flask. "Dammit," he muttered as he grabbed it quickly. Most of the contents had spilled out and there were only a few sips left. Tyler laughed a little and looked up at the trees. "God's little way of not letting me get drunk?" He shook his head and screwed the cap back on before pressing on.

As Tyler reached the top of the hill, he leaned against a tree as he looked before him: A massive valley, at least a mile wide and leading several miles into the mountains. He whistled in awe and smiled. "I think I just found my hideout!" he said, laughing as he walked into the valley.

Tyler admired the massive peaks around him and reached into his pocket for his whiskey flask. Feeling the lightness of the container, he sighed and just held onto it as he kept walking. After a while, he looked up at what was without a doubt, the largest peak he had ever seen. Its top vanished above the clouds and its massive base stood before him like an invincible adversary. He smiled and walked toward it.

When he finally reached the peak, he unscrewed the lid of the flask and lifted it towards the peaks. "To my first mountains. Cheers," he said before taking a drink. He then sighed and muttered, "I need a life."

Tyler walked over right next to the peak and examined it closely. It looked very strange but then again, he'd never seen a mountain up close before, so he wasn't sure how it was supposed to look. With this in mind, he shrugged and sat down in front of it with a sigh.

He again unscrewed the lid to his whiskey flask and shook it lightly. Maybe two drinks left, better make them count. Tyler rested his back on the mountainside and took a quick swig, barely hearing the mechanical whirring behind him. Before he knew it, he'd fallen over backwards and smacked his head on a hard metal and spilling the rest of the whiskey all over himself.

Tyler blinked several times, looking at the metal doorway above him. _Do all mountains do this? _With a sigh, he rolled over on his stomach, but stopped cold when he looked down the dark tunnel before him. There was a blue light moving toward him.

Like lightning he rolled to his feet and ran several yards away from the mysterious light before grabbing his M6C pistol from his hip. He spread his feet and aimed at the entrance of the cave and waited to see the source of the light.

Moments later, he saw a small blue orb that seemed to have energy emitting off of it in small waves. Its large blue eye moved over to look at him and he said, "Reclaimer!" Tyler hesitated slightly and lowered his weapon over so slightly, but he could quickly aim at the orb if it tried to attack. When the orb moved closer, he damn near shot the thing. "Reclaimer, lower your weapon."

Tyler automatically complied, but quickly asked himself why. Why was he listening to this strange robot? For all he knew it was lowering his defenses and was then going to vaporize him. Even still, he trusted this machine. He took another step toward it and looked at it closely before asking, "What are you?"

"I am 1092 Contrite Foray, monitor of this installation. Installation 02A."

Tyler blinked several times and looked at him closely, at a complete loss for words. After a long pause he attempted to speak again. "What…? Who… who made you?"

"Why, the Forerunners."

"Who… or what are they?"

"They're your ancestors, Reclaimer. You are to inherit everything they left behind… including this installation."

Tyler waved his hands to stop the orb from speaking any further. "Wait… what? This installation… is mine?"

Foray seemed surprised and moved back a pace. "Of course, Reclaimer. Come, I'll show you!" he said before zooming off and disappearing in the dark tunnel leading to the interior of the mountain. Tyler wasn't sure it was even a mountain anymore.

Tyler hesitantly followed the orb into the dark tunnel, keeping his pistol in hand. As they continued into the mountain, he noticed that this dark tunnel went further down, deeper into the peak. After a while, the orb's blue light appeared again, and Tyler knew he'd come to the end of his journey. The walkway leveled out, he saw Foray hovering in front of a massive door.

"Come, Reclaimer," he commanded. "It's time to see your inheritance."

The massive door then slid open, to reveal a massive chamber that seemed to fill the entire mountain. Tyler looked up in awe as the orb flew off across a massive walkway toward what seemed to be a terminal at the center of the massive room. Tyler hesitantly took a step forward and looked down through the glass walkway. There was a massive black pit down beneath them, as far as the eye could see. He gulped slightly and pressed on, closer to the terminal.

Foray was circling above, laughing like a maniac. He frowned and barked, "What's so funny? My fear of heights?"

Foray stopped. "Why no, Reclaimer. I'm simply happy because finally, my creators' dreams will be fulfilled!"

Tyler frowned again and walked up to the terminal. "How does this work?" he asked.

The device hovered over the terminal with him. "That switch there," he said, nodding to large, holographic button in the middle.

Tyler looked at it and asked, "What exactly will this do?"

"Give you the index, so that now we finally activate this installation!" yelled Foray in excitement.

The soldier looked at the button for a while, thinking about what this could do. He'd heard of the rings but didn't know what they could do. But, thousands had died making sure that they couldn't be activated. And now he, Corporal Tyler Walkins, could undo everything that they'd fought for.

On the other hand, maybe activating this installation could be a good thing. Perhaps the humans who'd fought to keep it from activating didn't understand the possibilities. Maybe this thing could destroy the Covenant once and for all.

Tyler stroked his chin and hesitantly stretched out his hand and hit the switch. Instantly, lights shined around the massive chamber and illuminated what looked to be a huge ship above them. Numbers and symbols flashed across the panels on the terminal and the orb seemed very excited. Then, in the center of the massive chamber, a small green case appeared. Tyler squinted to try and make out details as Foray flew closer to it. "Come, Reclaimer," he commanded.

Tyler's curiosity got the best of him and he walked around the walkway to get a better look at the case. Foray looked at the bottomless pit beneath them, and suddenly a purpled hologram appeared. The soldier looked from the new walkway to the orb. Sensing his hesitance, Foray said, "Don't worry, you're safe, my friend."

The soldier hesitantly tapped his foot on the purple floor before him, and seeing that it could hold his weight, stepped onto it fully. Foray seemed very excited and flew in circles around the case. "Hurry!" he shouted.

Tyler frowned again and walked closer to the floating green case. As he neared, the lights began to blink furiously and the slots of the case began to shift. The soldier blinked several times as a "T" shaped object was ejected from the top. He looked at Foray and asked, "What is this?"

"The Activation Index." He moved closer to Tyler and said, "It's yours."

Tyler eyed the object and asked, "What will happen if I take it?"

"You'll insert it into the terminal at the Citadel and it will activate this installation. And then finally my creators' dream… your ancestors' dream… will be realized."

Even still, Tyler was hesitant and didn't take the object. What would happen? The orb said his ancestors wanted this. But what would happen? Would it be good? Would it be bad? Why would thousands of soldiers fight to make sure that this didn't happen? Did he really _want_ to activate this weapon? Should he?

* * *

**Please review! It'll motivate me!**


	14. Chapter 14: Aftershocks

**Chapter 14: Aftershocks**

* * *

_2336 Hours, August 3, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Aboard Covenant CCS-class Battlecruiser _Insurmountable Strength

Fleet Master Ptolemaeus ran through the massive corridor of the ship. A voice from a PA system barked, "Fleet Master Ptolemaeus needed in the control room."

The Jiralhanae growled to himself as he arrived at the door leading to the bridge. It whooshed open quickly and he barked, "What's the matter?!"

The control room was filled with brutes running back and forth and chattering loudly. Most didn't hear the brute when he entered, but one looked back and bowed. "Sir, we've detected a major energy spike in the outermost sector of the system."

Now, Ptolemaeus was intrigued. He sat down in his captain's chair and said, "Where is it?"

A navigational officer hit a switch and a holographic map of the LS System appeared before the fleet master. Each planet and star had its own energy reading listed, but one planet's signature put the others to shame. The navigational officer said, "Sir, that planet's energy level just tripled a few hours ago."

Ptolemaeus stroked his chin. "What's so important about that?" he rumbled in his deep voice.

The navigational officer turned around in his seat. "Sir, that's one of the possible locations for the Forerunner relic."

Immediately, the brute leaned forward in his chair and barked, "What planet is that?!"

"Novus Pacis," yelled back someone.

"Novus…" muttered the Jiralhanae fleet master. The name seemed familiar… "Wait, the planet where our troops and humans are coexisting?"

"Yes, sir," replied a brute major.

The brute leaned back with a sigh and shook his head in wonder. Who would've thought that the Forerunner structure they've been looking for for years was right under their noses? The best part: They already had thousands of Covenant on that planet and when he gave the order, they would immediately got to activate the structure, having so many Reclaimers on hand. He smiled and said, "Get the prophet for me. He'll want to hear this news!"

Silently, Ptolemaeus thanked the Gods that he'd found the relic and wouldn't suffer the same fate as Marcellus.

A minute later, an image of the prophet appeared. He seemed irritated and was frowning deeply. This news would certainly brighten his day!

"What is it, Ptolemaeus?!" he demanded, slamming a fist on his gravity throne's armrest.

The Jiralhanae smiled and leaned forward. "We've turned up some interesting results on that Forerunner search, sir."

The prophet's fist stretched out and his jaw dropped in shock. He leaned forward, quite like his fleet master was, and asked, "Explain this to me, Ptolemaeus. What have you found? When?"

"Just now. One of the planet's energy levels tripled a few hours ago, sir. That planet is one of the possible locations for the Forerunner relic."

"What planet?!" asked the prophet in anticipation.

"Novus Pacis," the Jiralhanae said with a grin.

The prophet's reaction was unexpected. With a sigh, the old alien leaned back in his throne and shook his head. Running a hand over his wrinkled face he muttered, "This complicates things."

Now, Ptolemaeus was confused. "Why, sir? We can call any brute down there to activate the structure. How is this a 'complication'?"

The Prophet of Reclamation glared at the brute and hissed, "We can't simply call in the troops, Ptolemaeus. That would alert the humans too quickly. No. We need to activate the relic as quietly as possible. If the humans knew what we were up to, if could spark another war."

The Jiralhanae leaned back in his seat and groaned. "What do you suggest, sir?" he asked.

"You must go there yourself and activate it, my friend," ordered the prophet.

Ptolemaeus looked up in shock. "What?" he barked. But then he composed himself again and said, "Sir, we're on the other end of the system. It'll take days for us to get there." Their engines were having increasingly bad problems with overheating and he didn't think their ships could get there as fast as they usually could.

"Then it'll take days. It doesn't matter how long it takes you, Ptolemaeus. No one else knows about this."

The Jiralhanae nodded. "Yes, sir," he muttered. "Permission to pursue this relic, sir?"

The prophet smiled before folding his hands together and saying, "Granted." Then, his image disappeared, and Ptolemaeus breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to his navigational officer and said, "Set a course for Novus Pacis."

"Yes, sir," came the quick reply. Moments later, the same brute announced, "Course set. Estimated trip duration: 50 Hours. "

* * *

_0102 Hours, August 4, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Aboard UNSC Frigate_ Intercession

An alarm blared through the ship as the newly promoted Colonel Brian Vorster ran from his personal quarters. Thanks to Brewster and Lanasky's new allies throughout the UNSC infrastructure, this ship and his new promotion, had been relatively easy to acquire. They simply had a records officer add in new reports about Vorster's great deeds and he quickly rose in the ranks. While he technically wasn't a naval officer, they'd bribed the real captain of the ship to let him take the reins for this assignment. He buttoned his jacket and dodged to young officers as he burst onto the bridge and barked, "What's all the racket about?!"

"Sir, a planet's energy level just tripled a few hours ago," replied an operations officer.

As Vorster plopped down in his commanding officer's chair, he tapped several buttons around him and watched a holographic map appear in front of him. "What planet?"

"Novus Pacis, sir," came the reply.

"Wait… Novus?" he asked himself out loud. Sure enough, the planet's indicator on the map was flashing furiously and there were rapid reports coming in about it. "Is this planet on the map of possible Forerunner locations?"

"Yes, sir," a navigational officer replied.

Vorster ran a hand through his ruffled hair and mumbled, "I can't believe it." Of all the possibilities in the system, it _had_ to be the one planet humanity was inhabiting. What's worse: The Covenant were there as well. Hmm… the Covenant… "Has that Covenant battlecruiser made any moves yet?"

"Affirmative, sir. They've adjusted course for Novus Pacis."

_Wow. Only a few hours ago they were headed in the opposite direction. There was definitely something on that planet. _"Have we done likewise?" he asked.

The navigational officer turned around in his seat and gave him a strange look. "Awaiting Admiral Brewster's permission, sir."

"Of course," he muttered under his breath. He turned to his communications officer. "Get Admiral Brewster on the line." Then he turned to his navigational officer. "You, adjust our course to follow that Covenant ship. We'll just leave out that little detail when I give my report," he said to himself with a grin.

Moments later, the image of Brewster appeared. He was obviously tired, and it occurred to Vorster that it was the middle of the night. "This had better be good, Brian," the admiral growled.

Vorster cleared his throat and said, "Sir, we think we've found the Forerunner artifact."

Instantly, the signs of his exhaustion vanished and Brewster demanded, "Where?!"

"Novus Pacis, sir."

"Damn, we don't have any contacts there." The man sighed and asked, "What have the Covenant done?"

"Adjusted course for the planet, sir," replied Vorster. "We're going to do likewise soon."

"Good." Brewster smiled and linked his fingers together. "Let's try and race our Covenant friends to the relic. It'd be a shame if all this was wasted because they got there first."

Vorster instantly recognized the veiled threat and smiled despite his quickened heartbeat. "Don't worry, sir. We'll get there."

Brewster frowned and leaned forward. "You'd better," he hissed before ending the video feed.

Vorster leaned back and sighed as he thought about his task. He had to outrun a Covenant fleet, get on Novus Pacis unnoticed, and activate the Forerunner structure. Fun. He massaged his brow as he asked, "Navigator, how long till we get there?"

"ETA: 48 Hours, sir."

* * *

**Yup, we gots problems now. If you guys look closely at the times you'll there's a two hour difference. Meaning that they're both gonna get there about the same time. Uh oh! LOL! Anyways, hope you guys are enjoying this story! Please, review!**


	15. Chapter 15: Desperate Measures

****

Hey! Okay, so this is a really long, important chapter. It's kind of the breaking point. :) Pay attention to the times and stuff in this chapter. It moves around a little so if you do that you won't be confused! This isn't exactly my favorite chapter but i hope you guys like it!

* * *

**Chapter 15: Desperate Measures**

* * *

_2015 Hours, August 5, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, Approaching UNSCDF Orbital Defense Platform London Station, UNSC Frigate _Unshakable

Gunnery Sergeant Chris Overton looked out the window of the frigate as they approached the station. How was Thark going to take this? What would he do? What _could_ he do?

Chris looked at Hawes for a moment, slightly angry with him for even wanting to do this. In his opinion, if no one knew, it wasn't a problem. As far as he knew, they were the only ones who knew about the relic. When Thark found out, he would want to do something about it and that would bring attention to the structure. Sooner or later, the Covenant would find out.

Someone tapped on his shoulder and Chris turned around to face one of the flight officers. "Sir, we'll be docking in a few moments," he said after saluting.

Chris nodded and headed back toward Dr. Hawes's quarters. He rapped his knuckles on the metal and said, "Sir? We're going to be docking soon."

Before he'd even finished, Hawed opened the door quickly and said, "Good! Let's head down to the hangar."

Obviously he was excited about talking to Thark about this. The man practically jogged through the halls toward the hangar, with Chris shaking his head as he followed. When they entered, Chris spotted his security team packing up their gear for the meeting. While Hawes didn't see the need to bring them, Chris knew that the news Hawes had would undoubtedly change their lives in more ways than they could imagine. Therefore, he needed to be protected. The entire fifteen man team was on the trip with them.

As he approached his second in command barked, "Men! Atten-hut!" Instantly, the troops stood at attention and awaited further orders.

"As you were," said Chris casually.

Hawes watched the men packing up and put a hand on the sergeant's shoulder. "Chris, we don't need all these men. Everyone here is an ally."

"I know. But this news is too important to take any chances, sir."

Hawes sighed and shook his head as another flight officer walked up. "Sir, we've begun docking sequence. It may get a little bumpy."

Chris nodded. "Thank you."

Sure enough, the ship shuddered several times as the massive frigate docked with the station. The troops paid it no mind though as they finished packing up and checking their weapons. By the time the flight officer returned to say they could now exit the ship, the men were ready.

"Alright, boys. Let's hop to it!" Chris barked. He stopped Hawes and said, "I know you didn't want the men here but I'm just looking out for your best interests. So please do as I say."

With a sigh, Hawes nodded and they exited the ship. The hallways of the London Station were flooded with soldiers and technicians, and Chris had to keep looking over his shoulder to make sure all of his men were still with him.

As they rounded a corner, they almost ran into a very large Sangheili commander. This particular commander just happened to be Rtas 'Vadum. Hawes stepped forward. "'Vadum!" he said with a grin. At first the alien didn't seem to recognize him, so Hawes said, "Dr. Heinz Hawes from the peace talks…"

Recognition lit the giant's eyes and he smiled in the strange Sangheili way. "Doctor! It's good to see you again," he said, holding out his hand. Hawed shook the giant's hand and nodded to him. "How has the Covenant integration on Novus Pacis been going?"

_That's the least of our problems, _Chris thought to himself. Hawes shrugged slightly. "Alright. But I really need to speak to Fleet Admiral Thark. Do you know where he is?"

"Of course! I was on my way to speak to him also. Come, I'll escort you."

* * *

_2030 Hours, August 5, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, UNSDF Orbital Defense Platform London Station_

Admiral Thark blinked several times as he looked at the message flashing before him on his computer. It was short and to the point.

_Will- _

_Come to my office. We have something serious to discuss. _

_-Tony_

Why the hell would Tony Brewster want to talk to him? Last he checked, they hated each other. Maybe the man had concocted another plan to destroy the Covenant, and was going to beg him to finally see reason.

With a sigh, Thark stood and headed down toward Brewster's quarters. The door was shut, so he rapped his knuckles on the door and said, "Tony? It's Will." After a minute of silence, he knocked on the metal door again. "Tony? It's Will, open up."

After another long silence, Thark growled to himself and opened the door. After preparing himself to face his old best friend, it was a bit of a let down to only see an empty office. With a sigh, he walked over to one of the seats sitting opposite the man's desk and sat down, waiting.

The minutes dragged by, and a large clock sitting on the wall made the only noise in the empty room. _Tick…Tock…Tick…Tock._ When the man's computer beeped loudly, Thark almost jumped out of his seat. It beeped several times and Thark got up to see what it was, and saw a digital envelope on the screen.

Thark glanced at the door one more time to make sure no one was coming. _Might as well. No one's coming anyways._ So, he sat in Brewster's chair and looked at the screen. "VIDEO MESSAGE. FROM: VORSTER," it read. With one final glance at the door, Thark opened the video and watched.

The image of a vaguely familiar man appeared. He was grinning happily and saluted the camera. "Sir," he started, nodding politely. "I'm happy to report that we've confirmed that the energy source is a Forerunner structure. The Covenant haven't been moving at their usual speed. Our techs think it's engine problems. Anyways, we've passed the Covenant and we should be on Novus Pacis in a few hours." The man smiled broadly and leaned forward. "We'll activate the relic and soon the Covenant will be dead, sir."

Thark's jaw literally dropped as the screen went blank. What the hell was Brewster planning? Immediately, he opened up the computer's memory and searched for other messages that would give him a better idea about what this madman was planning.

There were several messages from this man Vorster, but none of them seemed to have any information that could be of any use. There were other messages from Natalie Lanasky, whom Thark recognized as the head of the ONI. Why was he in constant contact with her?

"Find anything interesting?" asked a voice, startling Thark. The fleet admiral looked up to see Admiral Brewster leaning against the doorpost with a large grin plastered on his face.

Thark completely forgot that he was behind the man's desk and simply stuttered. "T-Tony… what… what are you doing… Tony?" he finally asked.

Brewster shrugged casually, and stuck his hands in his uniform slacks. "Well, you've been looking through my messages. You tell me."

Thark was angry now. He frowned deeply and clenched his fists. "You… your _buddy, _Vorster just sent you a video message saying they'll be at Novus Pacis in a few hours. They'll activate the Forerunner structure." He shook his head as the old friend-turned-enemy and whispered, "What have you done?"

"I've done what you didn't have the spine to do, Will. I'm destroying the Covenant once and for all." Brewster shook his head as he took a few steps forward. "The only good alien is a dead alien."

"No, Tony. We can get along with them—"

"We can't! Don't you get that?! They hurt people and you can't expect those people just to suddenly forgive all the wrongs against them." Brewster was obviously angry now, and Thark thought it best to change the subject."

He glanced at the computer and said, "Why have you been talking to Lanasky?"

The man standing in front of him sighed deeply. "You found those, huh?" Thark nodded. Brewster laughed a second or two and looked at his shoes. "I thought I'd deleted all those," he muttered. But, then he looked up at Thark. "I'm not the only one, Will. There are plenty of people out there who think you're an idiot and would love to see the Covenant destroyed. She's not the only one, in fact we've managed to get resources in almost every department of the UNSC." Brewster smiled in triumph and awaited Thark's response.

The fleet admiral shook his head in anger. "What'd you have to resort to, Tony? Bribery? Blackmail?"

The other man made a face of the disgust and shook his head. "Of course not! The true believer need only be given the opportunity… he doesn't need further enticement."

"So, you're a poet now?" asked Thark with a smirk on his face.

Brewster shrugged and sat down across from Thark. "Doesn't matter. Right now, let's discuss your future."

"_My _future? Last I checked you're the one at the head of conspiracy who wants to activate a new Forerunner structure. I think we should be concerned for _your_ future."

Brewster smiled and shook his head. "After the Covenant is destroyed, I'll be hailed as a hero. As the one who finally destroyed the Covenant once and for all. It won't matter what I'd done in the past, my friend."

"We're not friends," hissed Thark menacingly.

Brewster chuckled. "Well, actually that's why I sent you that message earlier. The 'serious' matter we had to discuss was whether or not we can be friends again." The man leaned forward with a smirk plastered on his face. "Things have changed, Will. On paper, it may say you're in charge, but we both know that with my resources, I'm the one who'll be calling the shots. Now, that doesn't have to be a bad thing for you. If you agree to help me, you'll benefit from it quite a bit."

Thark stared at his old friend in disgust. Tony Brewster had gone from being a respectable and trustworthy officer, to someone blinded by hatred and his thirst for revenge. Now, he was asking the leader of humanity to throw out all his ideals and possibly undo everything that thousands have given their lives for.

The Fleet Admiral glared at Brewster. "You're an absolute idiot, Tony."

Brewster stood as well, hand flying to his holster. "I don't think you want to be insulting me, Will. I have power now that could really mess up your life."

Thark nodded to the other man's hand on his holster. "Seems you're pretty eager to just end it right here and now. Jackass."

Like lightning, Brewster undid the strap on his holster and had his pistol in hand. "I will. Everything I've been working toward for years is so close I can almost taste it! I won't let some idiot Naval officer ruin it now." The man had a wild look in his eyes and suddenly, Thark realized just how serious Tony really was about this.

Thark just shook his head in disgust, his fear disappearing and leaving pure hatred in its wake. "You stupid son of bitch. You have no idea what you're doing! You stupid—"

The man's rant continued and Brewster just watched, his lips slowing forming a smile. As Thark's voice raised in volume, it almost drowned out the sound of the gunshot…

* * *

_2041 Hours, August 5, 2563 (Military Calendar)_

Chris's ears immediately picked up the sound of the echoing gunshot. 'Vadum also stopped in his tracks and looked around the hallways, trying to locate the source of the sound. Hawes and the rest of the security team didn't immediately hear it, but understood the danger and quieted.

"'Vadum, did you hear that?" asked Chris hesitantly.

"Yes," came the reply as the aliens' head moved around, scanning the hallways. "It seemed to have come from Admiral Brewster's office." Without another word, 'Vadum drew a plasma rifle and moved forward down the hall.

Chris turned around and faced his team. "Seven of you with me. The rest of you, take Hawes back a ways." Then, he and the other men followed the massive alien down the hall.

The Sangheili quickened to a jog, and Chris did likewise, while signaling to his troops to keep at their walking pace. After passing several heavy metal doors, 'Vadum stopped, at what Chris presumed to be Brewster's office, and froze in shock. When Chris stood next to the alien soldier, he understood why.

There, sitting in Admiral Brewster's seat, was the lifeless body of Fleet Admiral William Thark. The man had gotten a bullet in his mouth. In front of him, stood Brewster, smoking gun in hand.

"Brewster!" 'Vadum roared as he raised his plasma rifle. "What have you done?!"

The man turned around and seemed in a daze. He glanced quickly from his pistol to the Sangheili commander in his room and did what any idiot would have done: Shot at the alien.

The three bullets whistled through the air, but only one hit the giant, and it was only a glancing blow. 'Vadum reacted quickly, and grabbed Chris by the collar of his uniform and moved him out of the doorway and away from the path of the bullets. "Go!" the alien shouted quickly.

Chris complied and sprinted down the hall and toward the seven members of his teams that had come on this venture. They looked at the two of them in shocked as he shouted, "Go! Get moving!"

Just as the words left his mouth, a bullet whizzed past Chris's head and hit one of the seven in the shoulder. Chris saw the shock in the troops eyes and they immediately reacted by crouching down and firing at Brewster. 'Vadum turned around and saw a large group of soldiers headed toward them, with Brewster shouting orders at them and waving them forward. Chris figured it was the murderer's personal security team.

'Vadum fired at the troops and pinned them down near Brewster's doorway. He looked back over his shoulder and shouted, "Get back to the elevator! I'll hold them off!"

Chris nodded and stood. "Go, go, go!" He and another soldier stopped and helped the wounded man up and ran down the pristine hallway, which was quickly becoming trashed with bullet holes. When they rounded a corner, the elevator was in sight. Chris handed the wounded man off to the other soldier and barked order. "Three of you, I need you to hold them off at this corner so 'Vadum can get over here! The rest of you, get to the lift, but hold it for us!"

Three of the soldier broke away from the others and looked around the corner. 'Vadum was standing in the middle of the hallway, slowly inching his way back toward them. Chris raised his weapon and shouted, "Careful of the crossfire!"

Then, the four men fired on Brewster's security team, pinning them down. 'Vadum instantly turned and sprinted back toward them, moving faster than any human ever could. Over the roar of the gunfire, Chris almost didn't hear him. "Soldier, we must find Dr. Hawes and get out of here. Brewster's betrayed us!" the Sangheili commander shouted.

To his security team, Chris shouted, "Okay, let's go! Hurry!" Then, to 'Vadum he said, "I know. Once we get into the elevator, I'll radio the rest of my team and ask them where they are."

Both of the leaders turned and head down the hallway toward the awaiting lift. "Where are we going now?" he asked as the lift doors closed.

Chris didn't answer, but switched his mike on said, "Alpha Two, where's Hawes?"

"With us in the commons, sir," came the reply. "What's going on, sir? We heard gunfire."

"Don't worry, we're on our way," said Chris. He looked at 'Vadum and said, "They're in the commons, sir."

The Sangheili commander looked at the buttons. "Two levels below us…"

Chris shook his head in disbelief but still tried to maintain control. He never would've thought that Brewster would do something like this. He looked at his troops and said, "Okay, we've got to find Hawes and the rest of the group and get out of here. Alright?"

"Yes, sir!" the humans shouted back.

Then, the lift doors opened to reveal an empty hallway. Chris's team advanced forward and checked the hallway as Rtas looked at a poster on the wall. It was a map of the station. He pointed at the commons area and then toward the portside docking, where their frigate was. "There's plenty of real estate between us and the ship," said Chris.

Rtas looked over his shoulder at the human. "We'll manage." Then, he turned and stalked off to follow Chris's security team. The gunnery sergeant reluctantly followed around the corner and saw that they were on the upper level of the large room filled with soldiers.

'Vadum looked around the room and said, "We mustn't attract attention to ourselves. There are too many soldiers here."

The security team tried to look casual as Chris keyed his mike. "Alpha Two, where are you?"

"First level, sir," came the quick reply. "Sir, what's going on?!"

"A-Two, shut up!" whispered Chris fiercely. "We're on the level above you." He thought for a moment and then asked, "You know how to get to portside docking?"

"Yes, sir."

"Head there and don't wait for us. Get off this station and get Hawes out of here."

There was a pause and then a, "Yes, sir."

Then, before Chris could end the transmission, they heard, "There they are!" The soldiers looked up to see Brewster pointing with his pistol at them. Behind him, was his large security team.

"Go, go, go!" shouted 'Vadum, waving his plasma rifle toward another lift.

Chris turned and sprinted away from the madman and his soldiers. Bullets whizzed over their heads, and screaming could be heard from the lower levels as non-military technicians heard the gunfire. 'Vadum returned fire as he ran and covered for the humans.

"Get behind the columns! Fight back!" Chris shouted to his men as he himself ducked behind on the concrete pillars lining the hallways of the commons area. 'Vadum ran by and ducked behind one of the pillars near Chris.

The gunnery sergeant aimed at the shoulder of one of one of the soldiers and fired a burst from his battle rifle. The target moved the left, and the bullets pelted the man square in the chest, knocking him off his feet. Chris actually hoped the armor had saved the man's life. He never thought that he'd be firing on humans again after the war. He thought for sure that humanity had learned their lessons. Obviously Brewster hadn't.

Several bullets hit near Chris's head, snapping him out of his thoughts. Small bits of concrete flew in his face and he shook his head as he fired again. Someone in the large group dropped their weapons as the bullets ripped into his wrist, almost talking his hand completely off. Another soldier dropped quickly, clutching his leg in agony.

A scream to his right made Chris turn around see one of his one get cut down by the bullets whizzing back and forth. Another of his men dropped to the ground, his neck bleeding profusely. 'Vadum turned toward Chris and shouted, "We can't keep fighting them! They're going to lock down the ship!"

"At least Hawes got off!" Chris shouted back before firing another burst. The three bullets nailed a man in the stomach, but this man didn't immediately drop to the ground. Instead, he fired his pistol toward Chris's exposed hands and face.

One of the bullets hit the concrete not an inch away from Chris's face. Another barely skimmed his hand, drawing little blood. 'Vadum fired his plasma pistol at the man, attempting to finish him off completely. After a few bursts, the man dropped to the floor in silence.

Chris looked around at his men and tried to listen to them over the roar of the battle. He jerked back behind cover as someone with a silenced SMG unloaded their clip onto the pillar Chris was hiding behind. 'Vadum again silenced the man and shouted, "We must go now!"

Chris nodded and shouted, "Men, covering fire!" He then ducked as he ran toward the back of his men and then ducked behind another pillar. From there, he got a better look at the short battle. There were still at least ten of Brewster's security team fighting Chris's reduced team of four, not including 'Vadum. He watched the three humans continue firing as they moved their way back through the hallway and toward another lift.

Chris ran and opened the doors for his team as they stumbled back in, still firing continuously at their attackers. 'Vadum was the last in and Chris closed the doors quickly as he backed inside.

"Bastard," 'Vadum muttered as he panted.

Chris nodded in agreement and watched his team reloading their weapons and taking a breather. The one who'd been wounded by Brewster loaded a pistol and looked at Chris with a nod. He had to fight; there were only five of them left.

'Vadum gripped Chris's shoulder. "The best way for us to get off this station is the hangar. There should be plenty of ships down there."

With a nod, Chris tried to contact Alpha Two. Thinking about getting off the station immediately made him think of Hawes and whether or not they got off. There was a lot of static, but he finally reached them. "A-Two, are you off the station?"

"Yes, sir," came the reply. "But the frigate didn't finish fueling. We won't last long."

'Vadum said, "My ship, _Shadow of Intent,_ isn't far from here. I'll contact my crew soon and they can help us."

"Okay." Chris keyed his mike again and said, "Just put some distance between you and the station. 'Vadum's gonna help us later. But we need to get off the ship now."

As the words left his mouth, the lift doors opened, revealing the hangar filled with ships, but thankfully, no attendants. Chris pointed towards a pelican and said, "That should work."

"Let's hurry. Brewster must not be far behind."

Chris followed the alien down a large walkway and toward the D77H-CI Pelican sitting in the center of the massive room. As they reached the dropship, Chris made sure each of his troops made it aboard. As 'Vadum hopped into the pilot seat, Chris ran over to a large terminal and hit the switch to open the blast doors. Moments later, they closed the pelican doors, protecting themselves from the vacuum of space, and flew away to safety, not yet realizing how much the murder they'd just witnessed would change everything.

* * *

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16: Commencement

**Chapter 16: Commencement**

* * *

_0245 Hours, August 6, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, Near Forerunner Library_

"So, this is our great weapon," mumbled Colonel Vorster as he stroked his chin and looked at the massive pyramid before him. He was slightly disappointed as he looked at it. It was so… plain. He expected more than a simple structure. Behind him, were fifty of his best men, waiting to activate the structure and finish off the Covenant. They too seemed slightly disappointed, but none complained.

They'd found what they were looking for, and he should be pleased. He took a step forward as nearby soldier muttered, "I wonder if there're any traps."

"Man, that shit's only in movies," said another soldier.

"This is too weird. There's nothing here… no guards, no weapons, nothing," muttered another.

Vorster walked up and looked up at the mountain, sizing it up. Then, hesitantly, he reached his hand out and touched the smooth metal. Then, like the other times it was accessed, a roughly triangular door appeared in the middle of the base. Then, 1092 Contrite Foray appeared.

"My, my, my. Another reclaimer?" he asked.

Vorster ignored the comment and looked at the strange device. He'd heard of the monitors, but never had he thought that he'd be meeting one. He eyed it carefully before saying, "Monitor, it's time to activate this installation. Will—"

"Oh! Fantastic! I've been waiting so long for—"

"Just shut the hell up and lead us inside," growled Vorster. He walked under the orb hovering above him and stalked off toward the entrance to the structure.

"Oh, of course, Reclaimer," answered Foray as he followed the man inside. The tunnel was long and dark, except for the light Foray was giving off. After what seemed like nearly a mile of darkness, they came into a large empty room. The orb started to chatter about how excited he was, but Vorster didn't give a damn. The Covenant were probably right behind them and he didn't have a lot of time.

He gripped the device firmly and said, "Okay, Mr. Lightbulb," _Not very imaginative, but still._ "How do we turn this thing on? I don't have a lot of time."

"Yes, Reclaimer." Foray then flew to the center of the massive room, and Vorster watched a green case float up from below somewhere. There was a humming sound, and purple, translucent floor seemed to appear. "There you go. Now you're safe to walk across."

Soldiers behind him muttered as Vorster stepped onto the floor hesitantly. After testing it by jumping up and down slightly, he walked toward the case. The slots on it shifted and moved about, the green lights blinked furiously. As Vorster stood before it, the case opened up to reveal…

"Nothing?" asked Vorster in disbelief. The case was obviously designed to hold something, but what?

The orb looked over his shoulder and chuckled, which considering his high voice, was extremely annoying. Especially in a time like this. "Oh, that's curious," he said.

Vorster's face twitched in anger and he turned to face the orb. "What's so… curious?"

"Well, actually, another Reclaimer was here a few days ago and he took the index with him. I'd completely forgotten up until now," Foray said before laughing.

Vorster tried to control himself and hissed, "Who was he? Where is he now?"

The orb stopped laughing and looked at him. "Why, I don't know."

Vorster grabbed his pistol quickly and screamed, "Where the hell is the goddamned index?!" His booming voice echoed throughout the massive room for several long seconds.

The orb merely stared at the man in front of him. "I'm sorry, Reclaimer. I'm just as disappointed as you are. But there's no way to find that index."

"Goddamn it!" screamed Vorster in frustration. The man stalked away from the empty case and back toward his soldiers. Before he reached them he growled, "The index isn't here."

"What's that mean?" asked a man.

"It means we can't activate this thing," hissed Vorster, trying to hold in his anger.

The men were in a stunned silence as they watched their leader. "How soon can we activate it, sir?" asked a different soldier.

"How soon can you find a small, 'T' shaped object that has somehow magically disappeared?" he said, his voice dripping with anger and sarcasm.

"Oh, boy," muttered the man, looking at his shoes.

"Yeah. 'Oh, boy.'" He huffed and paced back and forth, trying to figure out what to do now. He knew Brewster would be outraged. The man had been looking forward to this moment for years now. To hear that the device they most desperately needed was missing… Vorster was tempted to ask someone else to tell him.

He stroked his chin with one hand and nervously opened and closed his other hand behind his back. After a while, he asked Foray, "Is there any other way to activate this installation?"

Before the orb could answer, Vorster's helmet radio suddenly came to life. "Sir! Multiple contacts!" came the breathless report. "Phantoms, approaching from the North. About three, sir."

Vorster's eyes widened as he instantly realized that the Covenant had come. "Any infantry contacts?"

"No, sir."

"Okay, don't shoot. There's a treaty between us after all. They may not attack." Vorster waited for the man to confirm that he wouldn't shoot before he turned to the other soldiers. "Okay, radio back to the ship. Tell them to send in pelicans with vehicles or reinforcements just in case. But to wait for my command before they make themselves known."

"Yes, sir!" shouted the radio operators before saluting.

Vorster grabbed his assault rifle off of his back and started heading toward the dark tunnel leading out of the room. "Come on. I gotta bad feeling about this but I know I gotta be there," he grumbled. "Foray, stay here!"

"Of course, Reclaimer!" came the high-pitched reply.

Vorster groaned but kept walking at his brisk pace. At the end of the tunnel, he saw the sky of the planet, clouded over and ready to unleash a large rainstorm. He laughed to himself at how well it reflected his mood. As he exited the massive building, the doorway closed and he saw three phantoms on his right, hovering above the ground as they unloaded troops. He looked to his left and saw his nervous soldiers staring them down. There was nearly a quarter mile separating the two forces. The scene practically screamed "confrontation".

Vorster immediately thought he could talk the brutes into leaving and waved off the soldiers as he walked toward the amassing troops. Then, as the pelicans lifted off and disappeared, he saw the slow, bulky forms of five wraiths. Vorster's heartbeat rate doubled as he stopped mid-stride and watched them come into position. Without realizing it, he took a small step back as they stopped just a little behind the rest of the Covenant troops.

He took another step backward as he slowly watched the wraiths ready to fire. As the massive blue orbs burst from the wraith cannons, he turned and sprinted back toward his troops. "Incoming!" he screamed.

Seconds later, the five plasma mortars landed amongst his troops' positions. One smashed against a tree, setting it alight. Another landed right behind Vorster, sending him flying off his feet and showering him with dirt. As others landed amongst them, he shouted, "Return fire!"

His troops responded immediately by running behind the cover of the few trees or jumping into the five craters made the mortars. Vorster ducked as he ran toward the radio operator in the back of the group. He shook the man's shoulder and yelled, "Are the pelicans inbound?" The man nodded fervently that they were. "Okay, radio back to the ship, tell them we need anti-vehicle weaponry. Then, the call the pelican pilots and tell them to approach from the south."

"Yes, sir!" shouted back the radio operator over the roar of the battle.

Several more loud explosions were heard, and Vorster turned around to see the last of five plasma mortars landing amongst his troops. The once beautiful and peaceful landscape was quickly becoming scarred by this short battle. But, truth be told, he didn't give a damn about the scenery. He'd failed to activate the installation, and after this fight, he may have done more damage than he could've possibly imagined…

Spiker rounds flew overhead, making him duck down and bring him back to the matter at hand: Staying alive. Vorster ran forward and hopped inside a small crater next to another marine. Vorster watched the man looking at his gun as he tried to reload it, but dropped his magazine in the mud. As the man bent down to retrieve it, a small blue beam fired just past where his head had been not a moment before.

Vorster recognized the beam and tackled the young marine to the ground. "Stay down!" he yelled at the man. Another blue beam fired and the tree behind their crater, leaving nothing but a small burn mark. Vorster keyed his mike and looked over the edge of his crater. "Sniper fire! Sniper fire! Use extreme caution!" He scanned the battlefield in front of him and saw that near the wraiths and to the far right, the Covenant had managed to set up a sniper tower. "Anyone with rocket launchers or snipers, focus fire on the sniper tower. At ten o' clock. Over."

The words had barely left his mouth when heard the sharp crack of sniper fire from nearby. Another sharp crack and he heard on his radio, "Snipers neutralized."

Again, Vorster rose to his knees and poked his head and weapon over the edge of the crater and fired his battle rifle. On the scope, he saw a jackal drop down into the dirt, and a grunt getting knocked off his feet. He scanned the battlefield and spotted a large brute shouting orders to a small group of grunts. Vorster squeezed the trigger three times, and watched the bullets hit the brute in the head, knocking his helmet off. As the monster paused to grip his mangled face, Vorster fired one more burst, killing the giant.

As he looked away to reload his weapon, he saw more large blue orbs heading toward his group. Again, he grabbed the marine next to him and pushed him toward the ground. "Incoming!"

The ground shook and there were a series of explosions and screams as the mortars hit the ground in rapid succession. As Vorster sat up again, the smell of burning wood and plasma assaulted his senses. As well as the sickening, coppery stench of blood. Vorster lay on his back as the young marine sat up and started firing again.

"Casualties?" shouted Vorster into his helmet mike.

"Heavy, sir. We're under fifty percent of our original strength!" came the breathless reply.

The commander yelled at the radio operator, "Where the hell are those pelicans?!"

"I see them now, sir!"

Vorster looked up and saw the large forms of the dropships as the hovered above little clearing at the top of the hill and behind the trees. One dropped off a warthog and seven soldiers who quickly manned the warthog and ran forward. Another dropped off a scorpion and another unloaded fifteen ODSTs. The final one dropped off Type C resupply capsules around the battle field. Vorster smiled as he turned his attention back to the battle raging before them.

He heard a boom from the scorpion tank and watched a ball of flame appear on one of the wraiths. As the ground shook, he watched as the rank rolled by them and toward the front of the battlefield. It fired again, and destroyed one of the wraiths still firing on the human frontlines. Then, the wraiths focused their fire on the tank, which unfortunately, was right in front of Vorster.

He kicked the man next to him and shouted, "Come on, let's go!" They jumped up and ran several feet before stopping and jumping into another crater near a boulder. Vorster looked back and saw that the crater they'd been in only a moment before was completely gone after being hit with plasma mortar, leaving nothing but a deeper smoking crater.

Vorster shook his head and focused on the battle at hand. Now there were two smoking wraith corpses and the Covenant force had been seriously reduced. Vorster looked through his scope at the scene and picked a target.

He saw a Jiralhanae shouting orders to a large group of grunts and quickly dispatched him. Then, he turned his attention to the grunts and killed all but one, who ran screaming out of sight. He then turned his attention to a large group of jackals, but after the others seeing their comrade get dropped so quickly, they put up their shields for protection.

Vorster had been so focused on his shooting that he barely heard the screaming around him and the humming above. Something fell against him and looked to the young marine next to him, dead. He had burns all over from plasma projectiles and Vorster looked around to see where they'd come from.

Then, as they broke past the tree line, Vorster saw the five phantoms flying in overhead, laden with ghosts, sniper towers, and more soldiers. "Shit," muttered Vorster as he looked at them. The Covenant numbers had doubled at the very least and that meant that they were stronger than his soldiers now.

Once the ghosts were released, they immediately headed straight for his troops. He got up on one elbow and shouted, "Aim for the ghosts!"

A rocket launcher fired at one of them, but missed by a large margin and hit amongst the Covenant troops behind it, so it wasn't a total loss. The tank fired though and definitely didn't miss. The burning ghosts carcass crashed into the ground and slowly slid to a halt near the human positions.

The warthog driver suddenly became very bold, and drove out into the middle of the scarred valley. It didn't long for the ghosts and the fuel rod cannons to take out the vehicle.

Vorster looked through BR55HB SR scope again and saw how many more there were. Most of the newcomers were brutes and they all were carrying carbines, which meant better accuracy than their spikers at long range. Most of the new jackals were carrying sniper rifles now and he saw another sniper tower float up off the ground. "Shit," he said again.

He keyed his mike as he lay on his back and shouted to his radio operator again. "Call those pelicans back in to get us! We need to retreat now! There are too many."

He heard something that sounded like "thank God" and then the man said, "Yes, sir."

As Vorster ended the transmission, a large amount of Covenant fire landed on the human positions. He cursed yet again and crawled up the edge of the crater and poked his head up to the look at the aliens. After they stopped to reload, he keyed his mike and spoke to all his forces. "Fire, fire! Give 'em hell!"

All of his troops immediately began firing on the Covenant positions, and he was glad to see many of the alien soldiers fall. But there were still too many of them to fight on their own and he had to remember that while he had one frigate, they had six CCS-class cruisers. This could go on all day.

As his troops stopped to reload, the Covenant again began firing again. Vorster reloaded his own weapon and asked how much longer for the pelicans to arrive. "Five minutes, sir!" shouted the breathless radio operator. Obviously the man was under heavy fire.

There was static and then someone shouting, "Sir, the Covenant are advancing!"

Vorster's eyes widened and he looked over the edge of his crater to see the aliens doing a leap frog advance strategy. One line of aliens advanced as other around them laid down covering fire. Then, the first wave went prone to cover for the next wave. And then the third wave ran forward and the process continued until they reached their objective.

Vorster growled to himself as he aimed his battle rifle at them and shouted, "Hold them back!"

Again, his forces unleashed all their fury on the Covenant, but did little to stop them. Out of nowhere, three rounds from a fuel rod cannon landed on the tank, causing irreparable damage. The scorpion slowed to a halt and at a snail's pace, turned its turret toward the threat. But, it met its end at the hands of a wraith rather than the fuel rod cannon. The turret blew off of the body of the tank and a massive ball of flame consumed the vehicle. A two man team in a nearby crater was unfortunate enough to be consumed in the flames, and their screams were almost louder than the roar of the battle.

Vorster didn't watch them any further as he looked through the scope of his rifle and began firing at the aliens as they approached. For the first time, he noticed that his forces were backed up on a hill and therefore, more soldiers had a clear line of sight and a less likely chance of taking their own soldiers down in friendly fire. Long story short: The Covenant were going to have a hard time taking the human positions.

Flame burst from his battle rifle as he fired into the Covenant soldiers. One brute he'd been aiming at finally dropped into the tall grass, so he scoped out a jackal. This one was gunned down by another marine and Vorster settled for the confused grunt standing next to the corpse. The alien dropped without a fight. A brute major finally decided to fire back as he ran, and chose Vorster as his target. The spiker rounds sailed overhead, but as the brute began to get the range right, they buried themselves into the dirt right in front of his face. Vorster ducked down for a quick moment before revealing himself again and firing at the brute's head.

Though the humans were holding off the Covenant rather well, they were taking severe losses. As Vorster would unload and turn around to lay on his back, he'd watch soldier after soldier meet his end and fall to the ground. After what seemed like an hour, the radio operator shouted, "Sir, the pelicans are touching down! Troop deployment pods have been added!"

_Good,_ Vorster thought to himself. The TDPs meant that one pelican could carry twice the usual amount. So rather than fifteen at the most, one pelican could carry thirty. With the way things were looking now, they may only need one pelican.

Vorster switched his frequency so he was speaking to all his forces. "Retreat! Fall back to the pelicans immediately!"

As he got to his feet, he saw all of his other troops running up the hill with him. As he'd guessed, one pelican probably could've taken them all, but they had two, and they would use them. Vorster was one of the last to hop into one of the pelicans as it lifted off the ground and flew over the battlefield.

Now, for the first time, he saw the devastation they'd made. Craters scarred the once spotless valley and small smoke columns rose up from below. He saw the burning carcasses of the vehicles and from his height could even see all the dead Covenant from their charge. Most of the human dead were hidden amongst the trees that they were using as cover.

Vorster was startled as a soldier walked up. "What do we do now, sir?"

With a sigh, he said, "We gather more forces. Then we try and take this place back."

"But… they beat us once… they could do it again…"

"Next time we'll be more prepared. We'll have more gear, more soldiers, more vehicles… next time will be different," Vorster promised the man.

"What about the index, sir?"

Vorster growled slightly and turned around to face the man. "We'll find it."

The man looked from back to the battlefield. "Sir… did we just spark another war?"

Vorster hadn't thought about it that way. But now that he heard it that way… "Yeah… I think so."

* * *

***Cue dramatic music* :) Haha just kidding. Anyways, i hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I worked really hard on it! Thanks! PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**


	17. Chapter 17: The News

**Chapter 17: The News**

* * *

_1246 Hours, August 6, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Solar System, Unknown area, Separatist Assault Carrier _Shadow of Intent

Chris sighed as he entered the bridge of the _Shadow of Intent_. The ship had definitely impressed him with the size of its hangar. When they'd entered the ship, they saw that his security team had managed to fit their entire frigate _inside_ the Covenant carrier. But, of course, this didn't matter.

He sighed in relief as he saw Doctor Hawes standing next to the captain's chair. At least the man was still alive. Rtas 'Vadum materialized behind Chris and said in his booming voice, "Things are not all that they seem. Are they, Doctor?"

Hawes turned around, at first making eye contact with Chris and nodding, acknowledging his bravery on the London Station. Then, he looked at the tall alien. "No, 'Vadum, they aren't."

The Sangheili leader sighed and walked over to sit in his captain's seat. "Although… I'm sorry to say I wasn't too surprised by Brewster's betrayal."

"Why not?" asked Chris, speaking for the first time since boarding the ship.

'Vadum folded his hands together. "Admiral Brewster lost almost everything to the Covenant. His family was on an outer colony and didn't get off before it was glassed. They, and his homeworld, perished at the hands of those barbarians." He slammed one of his fists down as he said the last word. Then, he calmed himself down. "Admiral Thark has told me many a time how Brewster wants nothing more than revenge. He said he came up with many schemes to the rid the galaxy of them. Of course, Thark wanted peace and never approved of any of them…"

"So that pissed Brewster off obviously," said Hawes, nodding his head and stroking his chin slowly.

'Vadum nodded and leaned forward. "I'm sure that he would kill Thark simply because of that, but there's more going on here than we're aware of."

Chris tried not to scoff. _You have no idea._ Things had so quickly become extremely complicatedand it seemed that no one had the answers.

Hawes nodded to 'Vadum's comment, but changed the subject. "What were you going to talk to Thark about?"

'Vadum straightened. "We've been watching the Covenant closely, as we told you we would. They seem to be searching for something in the Lambda Serpentis System. But we aren't exactly sure. I thought it best not to bring the matter up with Thark since we didn't have anything yet. But, a few days ago, there was a massive energy surge on Novus Pacis…" The alien paused and leaned back in his chair. "The Covenant fleet immediately changed course and headed for Novus."

Chris's eyes widened as he thought about what the Sangheili commander had said. But, as a lowly security officer, it was his job to be seen, not heard. In fact, if one of his superiors had heard him speaking earlier, there would have been serious consequences.

Hawes seemed to understand what the alien commander was saying too. He nodded to himself and folded his hands behind his back and paced. "Very curious…" he muttered.

"Indeed. But something even more curious is a human frigate following the Covenant. I was going to ask Thark if he approved such a daring plan."

Hawes stopped mid-stride and said, "We've got a problem."

'Vadum seemed confused, but also deeply concerned. "You mean, besides the fact that the leader of humanity has been murdered?"

Chris couldn't take it anymore. He walked up between them and said, "Oh, hell yeah. That's probably the least of our problems honestly."

'Vadum looked very concerned now and leaned forward. "Explain. Now."

Hawes spoke for them. "The first day humanity landed on Novus Pacis, I thought I saw something fall from the sky. I could tell it was big and it fell amongst the mountains. But it was cloudy over there that day and I couldn't tell where it landed. Every night since, I've watched the skies, waiting to see something again, but nothing happened after that first time. I told Chris about it, and he agreed to take me to the mountains to find it… or at least find some evidence of it…"

Chris put his hand on the man's shoulder and carried on with the tale. "Basically, once we got there, there was nothing. Nothing except for a deep valley. But, long story short, the largest mountain there turned out to be a Forerunner structure. There was this little orb guy… like 1-2-3 Contrite Foray or something like that. He said that Novus Pacis was an 'installation;," he said while doing air quotations.

Hawes nodded. "After that, I told him we should leave. I didn't want to risk getting tricked by him and accidently activating the Forerunner weapon. As far as _we_ knew, no one else knew about it… at the time."

'Vadum understood and stepped down from his captain's seat and began pacing. "You think this Covenant fleet has been looking for the Forerunner structure on Novus Pacis."

"Yes, sir," answered Hawes.

'Vadum nodded, but stopped to face them. "But what about the human ship following them? Did it belong to Thark's forces?" Hawes shook his head and shrugged, indicating that he didn't know. The Sangheili commander began pacing again, and uttered one other word, "Brewster."

The two humans looked at him incredulously. "You think Admiral Brewter's been following the Covenant with a lone frigate? Why?" asked Chris in a harsh tone. _Funny, I never disregarded protocol until I started hanging out with Dr. Hawes,_ he thought to himself as that last statement slipped out.

Neither of the superiors in the room seemed to notice. 'Vadum nodded again as he paced. "Brewster lost everything. He wants nothing more than to destroy the Covenant. His persistence at offering Thark schemes to do it proves that." The alien stopped suddenly. "What if he doesn't understand the Forerunner weaponry?"

"So what?" asked Chris with a shrug.

"The man probably thinks of this new installation as his own personal arsenal. Merely select a target, and fire…"

"But it doesn't work that way. Once you activate it, everything in the entire universe gets destroyed," argued Hawes.

"Yes, _I_ know that and _you_ know that. But we can't assume that Brewster fully understands the technology. We Sangheili have been studying the Forerunner for years, but we've yet to unlock all of their secrets."

Hawes looked at the floor and then to Chris. "I'm glad we didn't go in."

Chris grimaced. "Yeah, _we_ didn't. But I think someone else did."

"What?" barked 'Vadum. "Did you tell anyone of your find?"

"No! Of course not! I just think someone stumbled onto it just like we did, sir," said Chris. "How else would you explain the energy surge?"

The Sangheili looked at the floor, rested his elbows on his knees, and leaned forward as he folded his hands. "So… someone else found the relic… But who?"

Hawes stepped forward. "Doesn't matter. What matters is that the Covenant and possibly Brewster's men are on their way right now. The three of us understand the technology well enough, but there a few thousand other individuals who don't and they're headed for that planet, hell bent on activating it."

Chris nodded. "How close were they last time you checked?"

The alien looked up. "Entering the atmosphere."

Both of the humans stared blankly at the alien and Hawed growled, "Why didn't you warn us? We could've done something—"

"I have my own reasons for coming to Thark when I did," barked 'Vadum, his voice filling the large room. Some of the navigational officers and other technicians turned around in curiosity, but soon went back to their work. The Sangheili commander sighed and stood to begin pacing, yet again. "The point is: We're all still here. We detected them going into the atmosphere several hours ago. I'm sure that if they could've activated the installation, then they would've by now."

Chris and Hawes glanced at each other, both of them conveying to the other their confusion. Hawes asked, "What could've happened though?"

'Vadum shrugged. "There are a number of possibilities. But really, who found it or what happened to stall the Covenant and Brewster… it doesn't matter right now."

The three of them stayed silent as they thought about the possibilities. After a few minutes, one of the communications officers turned around. "Ship master, I have an urgent message from Novus Pacis."

"Who's in control of Novus?" asked Hawes, glancing at Chris. "I'm here."

"Patch him through," ordered the Sangheili ship master as he walked toward the front of the bridge to the operations desk.

Moments later, the image of General Richard Hayes appeared. The general had distinguished himself greatly during the Human-Covenant War, and quickly rose through the ranks. The man was a brilliant strategist and often thought of ingenious plans that had saved many lives. But now, he wore a grim expression and his brow was furrowed. "Fleet master, there's been an incident."

"What happened? Have the Covenant been giving you trouble?" asked the alien.

"In a way. We've received reports of a relatively large skirmish between Covenant and UNSC forces in a large valley in the mountains."

'Vadum glanced over his shoulder at Hawed and Chris. But they already knew what had happened. The human ship and the Covenant had reached the structure at the same time and fought for it.

"And the outcome?" asked 'Vadum.

"The UNSC frigate, which is still missing, left the scene. We're assuming this means that the Covenant won this fight. We're trying to contact Admiral Thark, but there's been response."

"I have my own grave news. Thark's been murdered."

"What?! By who? How do you know?" asked the enraged general. His eyes were wide and his face was quickly becoming an alarming shade of red. "Was it Covenant assassins?"

"No. Admiral Brewster shot him personally. Dr. Hawes and I arrived at the scene moments after he was killed."

"You're certain?"

"Completely."

The general sighed and massaged his brow. "Well, the leader of humanity's dead… and we stand on the brink of war."

'Vadum leaned forward, over the table. "What has the Covenant said?"

"Nothing so far. And we sent out a message to all UNSC forces, asking who was responsible for the attack. But no one's taken responsibility for it."

'Vadum sighed and looked around the bridge. "General, I know what the Covenant and UNSC forces were after."

The general had been shaking his head and looking down. As 'Vadum spoke those words, his head snapped up sharply. "What? What were they after?"

"A Forerunner structure. Dr. Hawes and his bodyguard found it," the Sangheili commander explained.

The general furrowed his brow. "Hawes? Where has he been?"

"With me. We're on the run from Brewster, but we're headed for Novus Pacis."

"Good." The general stroked his chin in thought. "So, the Covenant are up to their old tricks again."

"It would seem so, general."

"How would they know to find it? What exactly did Hawes do?"

"Nothing. They left before the monitor there could trick them into activating it. But we think someone else might've stumbled upon it and accidently activated it, but to a point. A while ago we detected a large energy surge on Novus Pacis. We think the Covenant might've detected it as well. Then, they left to go activate it." 'Vadum crossed his arms after his explanation.

The general growled and shook his head in anger. "Damn prophet. I knew we could trust him." He took a deep breath before continuing. "That doesn't explain the UNSC frigate. No one was cleared to follow or attack the Covenant."

"No one under _your_ command, general. We think they belong to Brewster." The alien was finally beginning to find his position uncomfortable and walked back to his captain's seat.

The general tapped his chin in thought. "This… Brewster… do I know him?"

"You may have met him, general. He lost everything to the Covenant and will do almost anything to get revenge. Even activating a Forerunner installation."

"This situation gets worse and worse, fleet master." The man straightened and looked the alien square in the eyes. "We mustn't worry about him now or that mystery frigate. What matters now is the situation down here. The Covenant have heard about the Forerunner installation here and are rioting in the cities. Things are spiraling out of control here and we're sending requests for reinforcements. I'm not sure how far this will go, so I'm asking you to spare us some troops."

"Of course, general," replied the alien eagerly. "Are there casualties?"

The general nodded. "It just went a little over two thousand. But, some of those are Covenant too."

'Vadum nodded grimly. "Sounds bad."

"Spero is in the worst shape. A few Covenant from other cities left to come and support the Covenant in this city. Somehow, they got their hands on weapons. Since the news got out, we've seen an increased amount of phantoms flying in and out of the cities. We're afraid they've been delivering weapons, under the prophet's command of course. But we can't prove that… Anyways, when you send reinforcements, I'll ask that you focus most of them here," asked the general.

"Of course," 'Vadum said with a nod.

The general glanced away and furrowed his brow before looking back at 'Vadum. "I'm sorry, fleet master. Something serious has come up. I assume next time I'll talk to you it will be face to face. Good luck."

Then, the transmission ended. The Snagheili commander immediately turned to one of the navigational officers and barked, "Set a course for Novus Pacis. Maximum speed."

"Yes, sir," came the instant reply.

"Sound like everything's falling apart down there," muttered Hawes.

'Vadum glanced at him. "We'll take care of it shortly. It's just riots." He leaned forward in his captain's seat. "For now, Hawes, you need to stay here. Away from the danger on Novus Pacis."

Chris nodded. "I agree. It's too dangerous for you down here."

'Vadum laughed. "But not too dangerous for _you_."

Chris looked at the alien. "What? I'm his bodyguard—"

"There's plenty of protection here. Right now, we need every soldier we can get."

Chris nodded. That was totally understandable. Things sounded like they were going out of control on Novus Pacis and he was glad to fight for humanity. "Alright, I'm all for it."

'Vadum nodded and turned around in his captain's seat. "Brewster's made a terrible mess of things, but hopefully we can fix them now. Then put this all behind us."

Chris grimaced slightly, thinking of the fight ahead. Honestly, he thought things were a lot worse than anyone thought possible. He just hoped they wouldn't have another war on their hands…

* * *

**Hoped you guys liked this chapter! **

**PLEASE REVIEW! It motivates me and makes me smile! I'll update faster if i get some! I want to know what you guys think!**


	18. Part III: Chapter 18: Evacuating

**Sorry this update has taken so long. Lot going on right now ya'll. Anyways, i hope you guys enjoy this chapter! 'Tis the start of Part 3! Which is probably the bulk of the story and is the start of some real action!**

* * *

**Part 3**

**Chapter 18: Evacuating**

* * *

_2256 Hours, September 25, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, UNSC Pelican Bravo 92, Over the city of Spero_

Sergeant Lincoln Hayes, commander of the ODST Alpha squad and son of General Hayes, looked down at the massive city below him from the pelican. The city stretched out for several miles, and large smoke columns rose from the devastation below and there was the distant sound of gunfire and explosions. He grimaced as he strapped helmet onto his head and checked the HUD and its other functions. Lincoln then looked his suppressed M7S caseless submachine gun over, slung a BR55HB SR battle rifle over his back, and then watched the rest of his team.

Seven of them were young, untested recruits straight out of boot. But three of the members were some of his old comrades from the war. There was Seth, a fiery European with absolutely no regard to protocol at all. Then there was Priest, the religious sniper who prayed before taking any shot. And then there was Grandpa, who was definitely not old enough to be a grandfather, but definitely the oldest one in the group. He'd been fighting the Covenant for years, but had refused being promoted past the rank of sergeant, out of fear that they'd take him out of the field.

As he glanced back outside the pelican, he thought back on the past few months. The rioting had escalated from aliens damaging everything in sight, to shooting anything that moved. Humanity had done its best to keep the Covenant away from weapons, but phantoms had been getting weapons in for a while now. After so much death and destruction, the UNSC Command was about to declare a state of war.

Once Lincoln saw that the group was ready for the most part, he gripped one of the handles on the roof of the dropship and shouted over the roar of the engines and fighting below. "Okay, things are getting pretty hot down there, and the General has already begun evacuating the civilians. But, there's a small group still trapped in Sector 18. Now, our job is this: Eliminate any Covenant so other teams can extract the civilians to pelicans waiting in Sector 15. The Covenant are quickly moving through the city and it's supposed to be crawling with Covenant down there, so this isn't going to be a walk in the park. You read me?!"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the ten men shouted back.

Lincoln nodded his approval as the pilot announced, "Approaching LZ."

"Alright get your shit together and let's get ready!" Lincoln shouted.

Sector 18 was just to the east of the very heart of the city. It was a large living area, and therefore, needed to be evacuated as quickly as possible before more people got hurt. The entire eastern side of Spero was overrun by Covenant and the only humans there were dead. Now, the Covenant were trying to work their way west to take the rest of the human capitol on Novus Pacis. The classic move was an excellent way to lower the morale of humanity there and raise the morale of the Covenant soldiers. But, the only thing Lincoln was worrying about now, was getting the civilians of Sector 18 to Sector 15, the safe area just west of S-18.

Minutes later, the large aerial vehicle hovered over the ground and waited for them to pile out. Lincoln personally liked the HEV pods more, but the General said that it was too dangerous for the civilians to use them.

As he jumped out of the pelican and landed with a grunt, he shouted, "Secure the area!" to his troops. Wind swirled around them as the pelican lifted again, before leaving them behind.

The area around them was in bad shape. Sector 18 was one of the main living areas. Large apartment-like complexes towered over them, but most had severe damage from the fighting. One of the nearby buildings was half-collapsed, while another was missing a large corner off the top, revealing the homes inside. Debris and fires were everywhere, but at least they'd provide good cover for the ODSTs.

"Area secured, sir!" shouted Seth in his European accent.

Lincoln nodded and used his helmet's HUD to survey the nearby area for any enemies. Five red dots appeared on the small radar, and they seemed to be a few hundred feet away. Most likely there to look at where the pelican had been.

"Okay, boys. Covenant and our ten and eleven," he announced.

"Good!" shouted Seth into the helmet's comm. system.

Lincoln shouted out orders into his comm. system, telling the men to get into defensive positions behind the cover of the building debris. He crouched down behind a large piece of concrete with the metal rebar sticking out of it. Moments later, two brutes and three jackal marksmen wandered into the area. Little did they know that they were surrounded by ODSTs.

Lincoln quietly ordered the boys to wait until the Covenant soldiers were within their circle before firing. Then, the lead brute sniffed the air, and the Sergeant knew that he was about to figure it out. "Fire!" he shouted. His team responded by firing quick bursts into the monsters, and seconds later, all five were on the ground.

He smiled in satisfaction and shouted, "Okay, onto our assignment!" Before the last word had left his mouth, wind kicked up as a phantom hovered above them. "Shit! Get to better cover!" he shouted over the roar of the ship. He looked and priest and shouted, "Get to higher ground for a better shot!"

"Yes, sir," replied the religious sniper.

The eleven men ran back toward the apartment complexes and then crouched down behind cover. Lincoln raised his weapon as the large group of brutes and jackals jumped out of the aerial vehicle and landed amongst the debris. "Fire at will," he said clearly into his helmet's comm. system.

When he saw the blue pointed helmet of a brute captain, he quickly aimed and fired. The helmet was sent flying and he saw a small burst of blood from the alien. Then, there was an enraged roar and spiker rounds flew toward the marines. "Return fire!" they heard a brute shout.

Lincoln ducked behind a concrete block as spikes buried themselves into the cover. He fired blindly over the concrete before jumping up again and searching for a target. He saw the shield of a jackal, but that was no target. Then, the helmet-less brute jumped up onto a large pile of debris, shouting, "The path waits for no one! Fire!"

All too quickly, the Covenant soldiers began jumping over the debris. Lincoln fired a quick burst into a grunt as he jumped over concrete, knocking him to the ground. He then fired a longer burst into a brute firing his spiker. The monster stumbled back with a groan before toppling over.

The Covenant soldiers were about a hundred feet away now, and they still outnumbered the ODSTs two to one. "Grenade!" shouted Seth before throwing a fragmentation amongst the aliens. The blast took out several of the monsters, but they were still outnumbered. Then, they heard the sharp crack of a sniper rifle, and one of the brutes dropped. Another shot killed another Jiralhanae and injured a jackal. A third finished off a brute major, knocking him off his feet.

"Thank you, Priest," muttered Lincoln as he fired at the retreating Covenant. The sniper fire must've proved too much for the aliens.

"Thank you, Jesus!" shouted Priest.

"Good job, mate," said Seth in his thick accent. Then, he shouted, "Oi! Where's the Covenant goin'?!"

"Priest scared 'em off," muttered a rookie.

Lincoln got to his feet and said firmly, "Stay alert." He quickly reloaded his weapon and walked over toward the rest of his team. "We need to focus on our assignment and protect the civilians as they're getting extracted. Which reminds me…" Lincoln switched his frequency over to the extraction team's channel. "This is Alpha One to Foxtrot One. What's your status? Over."

There was a lot of static and the sound of fighting, but the voice came through relatively clearly. "Foxtrot Two to Alpha One. Foxtrot One is incapacitated. The Covenant have breached this sector from the north. We need assistance! Over."

"Alpha squad will assist. Over and out," replied Lincoln. He then looked at his team. "The extraction teams say that the Covenant are moving quickly. We need to help them out."

Without another word, the eleven marines ran through the debris toward the northern edge of Sector 18. They listened as the extraction teams called in the other ODST teams to defend them as they evacuated the civilians to Sector 15. As they neared their destination, the sound of gunfire and explosions could be heard. On their radar, there were many blue and red dots that were blinking furiously, indicating the fierce fighting going on. There were well over thirty players in the fight and it sounded like there were plenty of more Covenant on the way.

As Lincoln and the others arrived at the scene, they saw a large group of ODSTs and an assortment of other marines lying across a large pile of debris. It was part of an apartment complex that had toppled over and it provided excellent cover for holding off the Covenant. There was even an AIE-486H HMG set up at the middle of the defenses. Not far from them, were large apartment complexes, from which large groups of civilians were being escorted from. Soldier shouted to them and waved them away from the fighting and closer to S-15.

Lincoln's instincts immediately took over, and he examined the defenses and shouted orders. "Rookies, get on the edge over there! Seth, help that HMG gunner! Priest, get up near that light post and Old Man, you're with me!"

The soldiers nodded and left to do their own jobs. Lincoln led him and Grandpa toward the right side of the fighting, where there was a slight weakness in the defenses. He quickly climbed over the pile of bricks and concrete and lay down so only his head and weapon were visible. From here, he had a good view of the battle.

The Covenant were approaching the neighboring Sector 17, which was in flames and burning to the ground. They climbed over the debris and charged toward the defenses at S-18, hoping to claim more human lives. The roar of the battle was deafening, and he could hardly hear his own thoughts as he raised his SMG and searched for a target.

_They're coming so fast…_

Lincoln shook his head of the thoughts and fired his SMG toward a group of grunts. Blood, metal, and their green methane gas flew from the alien as he clutched his throat and toppled over. He then aimed for a jackal's head, and watched the monster' it spasm as the rounds hit him.

Over the deafening roar of the battle, he barely heard the crack of a sniper rifle and watched a brute captain stumble and fall as he ran toward the marines. Lincoln sighed as he reloaded his weapon and watched Priest take out the officers of the group. Someone threw a fragmentation grenade toward a brute and several grunts. The blast killed all four and left a large crater in the ground. Moments after that, several grunts responded with their own plasma grenades. One of which landed only a foot in front of Lincoln.

His eyes widened and he frantically crawled backwards and screamed, "Grenade!" Only seconds after the words left his mouth, the explosive detonated, showering dirt and small pieces of debris over the soldiers.

Lincoln grunted as the blast knocked him back several feet into a concrete block. The incessant ringing in his ears assured him that he was alive, but was also a reminder of how close he'd come to death. Strong hands gripped his shoulders and shook his roughly. With a groan, he opened his eyes and saw the helmetless Grandpa standing over him. His mouth was moving, but Lincoln could hear nothing except the ringing.

After a minute, the old man mouthed, "Are you okay?"

Lincoln nodded and accepted the hand as he shakily got to his feet and ran back over to his previous position. _At least it's quieter now_, he thought to himself as he fired at the Covenant. The ringing had stopped, but everything was quieter, as though he were hearing the battle from a distance. Instead of focusing on his ears, he fired at the Covenant attackers.

It seemed that out of nowhere, more marines had showed up to fight the Covenant off. It wasn't surprising though, more and more Covenant were trying to get to S-18 and attack the civilians. But, they weren't just approaching from the north, Covenant were flanking them from the east now and the marines defending the north were still unaware.

Lincoln barely heard the static from his helmet's comm. system as he fired his battle rifle now that his SMG had run out of ammo. He stopped and moved away from the fighting and shouted into his helmet, "This is Alpha One. Can you hear me? Over."

There was static, but the voice came through. "Alpha One, this is the operator, Covenant are approaching from east. Is the evacuation complete, Foxtrot Two? Over." the operator asked suddenly. Lincoln hadn't realized they were sharing a channel with the Foxtrot team.

"Foxtrot Two to Operator. Extractions are complete, sir. But we need the marines to hold them back a little longer, we still have to load them onto the pelicans. Over."

"Roger, Foxtrot Two. Alpha One, can you assist? Over." asked the operator.

"Roger, Operator," responded Lincoln. "Inform other teams and we'll hold them off. Over."

He heard the operator informing everyone on the frequency and watched several marine heads look to their right, to the east. Lincoln looked also, and could barely see a large group of brutes, jackals, and grunts moving in the distance. His heart began to pound, and he tried to stay calm as he spoke into his comm. system.

"Alpha squad move to eastern front of battle to defend against new attackers. Gather others around you to assist. Over," he said quickly.

Seth was the first to respond. "Oi, mate, I'm lookin' over there an' I see a lot o' Covenant."

As the European's transmission ended, Lincoln started to see the rest of his team running toward him. Behind them, ten others were following to fight the new threat. But Lincoln feared they wouldn't be enough.

As Priest ran past, he said, "Yeah I don't think we can fight them for long, man."

Lincoln growled. "We don't need to hold them off for long. We just need to buy a few more minutes for the civilians."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Seth. Lincoln heard the sound of gunshots from his end of the transmission and knew that the man was fighting.

He quickly ran over near the rest of the men on the eastern front and began firing at the still-distant aliens. A brute head appeared just briefly, and Lincoln quickly fired a burst toward him, knocking his helmet off his head. A grunt quickly come into view, and Lincoln killed him before he could hide again. As they Covenant grew nearer, the humans fired more and more rapidly, as more and more targets were spotted.

Lincoln ejected the empty magazine, and saw something out of the corner of his eye. His HUD focused in on two objects zooming through the sky with small vapor trails behind them. It wasn't until they flew right overhead that he could see they were banshees. They zoomed above them, making a loud whistling, or droning sound.

"What the hell?" yelled someone.

"Banshees!" yelled someone else.

The men all responded in their own way, but Lincoln activated his comm. system. "Operator, this is Alpha One. We've got banshees overhead. I repeat: banshees. Over."

There was silence for a moment until the operator said, "This is the operator. Banshees, you said? Can you confirm? Over."

The duo flew overhead once more, and appeared as enemies on his radar. The shape of the vehicles was a dead giveaway as they circled around and headed back toward the humans. Something in the back on Lincoln's head screamed for him to take cover, so he quickly ran and crouched down behind a concrete block as he responded to the operator. "This is Alpha One. Yes, they're banshees. They're—" Before he could respond, the banshees unleashed a rainstorm of plasma down on the marines.

Lincoln heard screaming as he lay flat on the ground and covered his head. He glanced up momentarily, and saw a green explosion not far way. The ground shook with the blast and he was showered with dirt. "Operator, they're attacking our defenses! Has Foxtrot evacuated the civilians?! Over."

There was a long break, and Lincoln took advantage of the time to check on his team. Most of his men were fine, but one of the rookies had been badly burned by the large green cannon shot from the banshees. He clutched his lower leg in agony as the rookie medic tried to treat him. Around him, his fellow marines continued to fight off the Covenant, but they were still drawing nearer.

"Alpha One," responded the operator. "Foxtrot Two has just told us the civilians are clear and you are to fall back for evac."

The last few words of the radio operator were almost drowned out by several large explosions. A grenade exploded not too far away, and a banshee released a large, green, plasma projectile. Both produced a massive shower of dirt and debris over the men, and in the wake of the attack, several were screaming. "Operator, we're gonna need some air support! We can hardly move here!" he shouted into his helmet's mike.

"Sir, we need help up here!" shouted the voice of a panicked rookie.

Lincoln immediately ran back towards his team and fired at the Covenant. They were only a hundred feet away now and there seemed to be an endless supply of them. He fired several burst into a brute, not stopping until the monster toppled to the ground. He quickly threw a grenade at a large group of grunts, but didn't watch the blast as he fired at new enemies.

Static crackled in his ear before he heard the operator say, "Okay, hornets inbound. Hold on, boys. Over."

Lincoln smiled despite the situation and fired at several more Covenant before he heard the droning of the banshees again. "Get down!" he shouted. Moments later, there were two green explosions and plasma rained down around them. Lincoln heard the sound of screaming, and as soon as the banshees passed over, he looked up to find the source of the sound. It was one of the rookies, Private Ryan Bomber. The medic quickly ran over and peeled the bloody uniform off the man, revealing a gaping wound in his chest. The man shook his head. "Damn. Ryan needs to get out of here. Now."

As if to prove the direness of their situation, the banshees passed overhead once more, firing down on them. Lincoln and the medic covered Ryan Bomber as Lincoln shouted, "We need that air support! We're not gonna make it very far with these banshees!"

The medic put a finger to his ear and shouted to one of the other rookies. "Kyle, get over here! Ryan's hurt and I need you to help get him out of here. Grab Shawn to help you. Over." He glanced up at Lincoln. "Ryan doesn't have that much time, sir."

Again, static filled Lincoln's helmet before a voice broke through. "Alpha One, this is Charlie Three. One and Two have been killed, sir. The northern front is being broken through. And the banshees are ripping us apart. Suggestions, sir? Over."

Lincoln sighed as he looked from Ryan, to the other injured marine, to the fighting going on around him, and then up to the banshees. With a growl he switched his frequency over to speak to everyone. "All personnel, this is Alpha One. Fall back! I repeat: fall back to Sector 15!"

The medic gave him a nod as he stood to go assist the other injured man. Behind him, the marines began running down the pile of debris and away from the Covenant. Honestly, Lincoln didn't want to give the aliens another victory, but he'd already lost several men and didn't want to lose more. Before this was over, they'd need every man they could get.

The comm. channels were suddenly flooded with panicked screams as the marines began to flee the sight of the skirmish. Lincoln tried his best to block them out as he shouted to his team. "Stay calm and fire at the Covenant as we run! Brutes are faster than us and we don't want them catching us!"

He glanced over his own shoulder and saw the large crowd of Covenant soldiers running over the hill, moving quicker than they were. The sight was utterly terrifying. He fired his battle rifle at them blindly, hoping to claim at least a few Covenant lives in this retreat. His team followed suit, and the seven remaining members of his team stopped behind cover to fire at the Covenant and protect the rest of the group.

As Lincoln turned to run again, he saw five hornets fly overhead, no doubt heading to attack the banshees. _Little late_, he thought to himself. An explosion behind them drew him from his thoughts, and he quickly fired over his shoulder at his enemies. He heard a gurgling sound and knew that he'd hit something, but the sound was too close for comfort.

Up ahead, though, he saw a pelican with a troop deployment pod attached to it. He sighed in excitement and exhaustion as he realized how close it was, and yelled, "Keep moving!" But, a brute spike grenade flew in front of them, burying itself in the ground. Lincoln slid to a halt in the dirt, recognizing it immediately. As he tried to dive behind cover, it detonated, sending red hot projectiles through the air. Lincoln was vaguely aware of some hot and sharp hitting his lower left arm, but gave it no thought as he sat down and fired at the rapidly approaching Covenant. His rounds killed a grunt and jackal, but only a few round hit a brute captain as he ran toward Lincoln. From behind him, someone unloaded and assault rifle into the monster before it could reach him.

Seth appeared and shouted, "Come on, sir! No time to play hero!"

Lincoln laughed a little as he accepted the hand and continued running toward the pelican. The hornets seemed to have finished the banshees as they flew overhead and fired down on the Covenant charge. Lincoln silently thanked them as they neared the dropship and Seth turned and fire again.

The rest of the thirty soldiers were just finishing up loading onto the pelican, and Lincoln and Seth gladly hopped aboard. The aerial vehicle wasted no time lifting off the ground and quickly heading further away from S-18 and S-15. As they flew over the city, Lincoln could've sworn that there was more damage to city than there had been before his fight. The city was being torn apart.

The medic tapped his shoulder, dragging him out of his thoughts. The man pointed at his left arm, and for first time since getting shot, Lincoln realized he'd been wounded. It was only a light, flesh wound and could quickly be fixed.

If only the same could be said for Spero…

* * *

**So what did you guys think?? Please review! Let's hit 5!!!**


	19. Chapter 19: Rallying

**Sorry this was such a long update! The story continues...**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 19: Rallying**

**

* * *

**

_1545_ _Hours, September 27, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Orbiting Novus Pacis, UNSC marathon-class cruiser _Preservation

General Richard Hayes walked briskly to the ship's bridge, eager to hear the latest news from the surface of Novus Pacis. The troops down there had been evacuating civilians for two weeks and he was eager to find out how far they'd come. Their priority was getting the civilians to safety, and then they'd focus on defending the cities and taking back any that they'd lost.

Of course, there were other problems as well. Such as the traitor, Brewster. Since he'd assassinated Thark, Hayes and 'Vadum warned other UNSC personnel about him and he quickly fled. But the problem was they had no idea where. As long as he was out there, he was a threat.

"Sir," a familiar voice said. Hayes turned around to see his aide jogging to catch up with him. "Sir, this report just came in. I was looking for you."

Hayes nodded politely and took the electronic pad from the man. He typed in a few commands on the touch screen and watched as the report appeared. The general was careful not to run into anyone as he read the report and walked through the hall.

It was mainly talking about the successful evacuation of Spero. Many had still died, but over half of the population had gotten out just fine. The rest of the cities were now just finishing up the evacuations, and were bringing in reinforcements for the offensives that were going to take place soon. The only city that hadn't done evacuations was Noceo.

Hayes frowned as he looked at the few, short sentences concerning the city. "Why hasn't Noceo been evacuated? There are a lot of people there," he said.

His aide gulped slightly and hesitated before saying. "Well… you'll understand more once we brief you on the situation, sir. It's rather… complicated."

Hayes eyed the man warily as they approached the bridge. The large proximity-activated door whooshed open to reveal a large room filled with technicians and soldiers. Several aging men were gathered around the large operations table and arguing loudly. The general sighed as he neared his military advisors and barked, "Okay, let's stop fighting amongst ourselves!" Instantly, the men stopped, straightened, and saluted. Hayes nodded politely before placing his hands on the table and leaning on them. "What's the situation, men?"

Colonel Barkman, an intelligence officer, cleared his throat. "Sir, we've been watching the Covenant closely and many of their ships have begun moving further from Novus Pacis, and closer to our colonies. A large group of them have moved toward Novus."

"Where have the rest gone?" he asked the man.

The operations table hummed to life and showed a large map of part of the universe. One was earth and the rest of the solar system, Novus Pacis, and other various planets that humanity had colonized. Moments later, small indicators appeared, showing the locations of Covenant vessels.

The intelligence officer pointed about. "The other ships have begun attacking Earth, Mars, Huton V, and Ttejab, sir."

Hayes thought about each individual target and tried to understand what the Covenant were doing. Earth was the obvious target, it was humanity's homeworld. Mars was the home of the Misriah Armory and Reyes-McLees Shipyard, and therefore a great strategical target. Taking out a large armory and the biggest warship factory would definitely strike a blow to the UNSC. The other two planets were home to some of the largest natural resource deposits in the universe. There, there was an abundance of resources that the government used to fuel vehicles and ships, feed men, and build bases. All four of these planets were great targets, but a brilliant strategist could see right through the ploy.

As Hayes raised his head to give his explanation, he realized that his advisors had begun arguing again.

"Don't you understand?" yelled one man. "We need to move reinforcements from other locations and dedicate them to these four planets!"

"I agree! We can't let these factories fall, they're too valuable!" shouted another, pounding his fist on the metal table to emphasize his statement.

"No! We can't move all troops to those four positions, then we leave other locations unprotected!" shouted someone else.

"Nonsense! They don't want to attack anywhere else! They want to strike at our heart!" shouted the first man.

"What they're trying to do is trick us!" shouted Hayes over the men.

They stopped on and looked at him. "Trick us?" asked the first incredulously. "How so?"

Hayes grinned a little and pointed to the four planets. "See these fleet sizes? They're small: Only three or four ships in each group." He looked up at them, hoping they'd understand.

"So?" demanded the second. Obviously they didn't get it.

The general bent over the table again. "If they were dedicating all they're forces to attacking these four locations and… 'striking at our heart' as you put it," he pointed at the first man. "then these fleets would be massive. We're talking at least thousands of ships."

"So, couldn't they just be moving reinforcements in later?" asked someone who hadn't yet spoken.

Hayes pointed at the four locations on the map and spread his hands out over it. "Look here. What do the four positions in question all have in common?" he asked.

The men furrowed their brows as they tried to understand what he was talking about. After a while, the intelligence officer spoke. Quietly saying, "They're all close together, sir?"

Hayes nodded. "Yes. They're all close and they're all far from Novus Pacis. You all know that these are great strategical targets for striking a blow to us, but why attack these four when there are closer to the Covenant colonies? There are several out around the Lambda Serpentis System and other systems near them. Why not attack them?"

One of the younger advisors looked up. "They're trying to lead us away?" It was said as a question.

Again, Hayes nodded. "Exactly. They're trying to draw our attention from Novus Pacis. Attacking these places is great, because they're far from Novus Pacis, and close to our homeplanet, which will naturally make us nervous and immediately want to go and defend it. We might've done just that, _if_ they'd had made the fleet sizes too unbalanced. There are obviously hundreds of the Covenant vessels surround Novus, but around their supposed targets, there are very few." Finally, the officers all seemed to understand.

They nodded and smiled at their general, proud of him for figuring this out. But, the first man, Brigadier General Pretman, had to argue. "So, do you just expect us to leave our homeworld defenseless and ignore the threat?"

That pushed the general over the edge. He leaned over the operations table and hissed, "You'll do as I say, Pretman."

The man sneered at Hayes, but said nothing more.

"Sir?" asked the young advisor. "Why are they so focused on Novus?"

"I can answer that," boomed a new voice. Everyone on the bridge turned to see the massive form of Rtas 'Vadum. The Sangheili commander swiftly walked over to the operations table. "My apologies for being late, but I do have valuable information. My colleague, Doctor Hawes, discovered a Forerunner structure on the surface there. We can only assume it is as powerful as the rings were."

Hayes didn't greet 'Vadum properly. Instead, he gaped at the alien. "A Forerunner structure?" he asked at barely a whisper.

Rtas nodded. "Yes. We've been monitoring the planet and keeping track of the Covenant. We think that they're after the structure. They're still trying to begin their 'Great Journey'."

Hayes sighed and massaged his brow. After a minute, he looked up again. "Let's take things one step at a time. We'll worry about the structure later. Right now, we need to be sure all the civilians on Novus got away safely and we need to start retaking some of our cities. Now, tell me about the damage," he demanded.

The officers straightened, and one of them started. "Well, sir, our capitol city is our main priority at the moment. It's in disarray… the Covenant have overrun the slum-like sectors and have taken the eastern half of the city." The man stopped as the map changed to a map of Spero. The sectors were divided into enemy areas and friendly areas. The man was right: Half the city had fallen to the Covenant, but the aliens were thankfully being held off at the halfway point. The map zoomed in on that area and the man spoke again. "We've managed to stop them here, but that won't last forever."

Hayes looked at the area quickly and said, "Alright. Set up strong defenses on these three main roads." He pointed to the three main roads running east-west through the city. They were the main highways and ways of transportation in Spero. "Strong defenses there should be able to hold off the Covenant so they can't move any deeper into the city. Establish an HQ down at one of the far western areas immediately. I want to be on the ground."

"Yes, sir," said the aide with a nod.

Hayes continued. "While we're holding them off, start getting reinforcements into the city. That's our capitol city and it'll boost the troops' morale if we can kick the Covenant out of there." He looked up at the other men around him. "What about the other cities?"

The map expanded to show the entire planet, with various major cities marked by indicators. Hayes looked at each one as he heard the explanations. Apparently the Covenant had indeed taken their fair share of the cities. Little less than half of them had fallen. Now, the aliens were turning their attention toward the natural resources mines and refineries. They were going to weaken humanity any way they could.

Hayes looked at all the cities that had now been labeled as either friendly or enemy locations. Their friendly cities outnumbered the enemy, but not by a large margin.

"Good," he said quickly. "For now, let's focus on Spero and we'll try to keep the Covenant from taking anymore cities. How are the reinforcements coming?" he asked.

One of the advisors glanced around nervously. "Well, sir we're having trouble gathering all the troops from the other colonies. We moved a large number of soldiers from one of the outer colonies, and the people panicked. They thought we were leaving them for dead and that the Covenant would destroy them. That colony… it's anarchy down there."

The general sighed. "So are you telling me we can't move troops?"

"We can move _some_ troops. We just can't move too many troops away from the other colonies. The people get panicked and the result would merely hurt us more, sir."

"So what do you suggest?" Hayes asked quietly.

'Vadum stepped forward. "Sir, my soldiers would gladly stand by your men to fight off the Covenant and defend the planet. I'll send word to my ships and we can start moving troops immediately."

Hayes nodded and looked at the alien. "Very well." Things were starting to look up a little. He looked at the rest of his advisors and asked, "Now, what have we heard from the Navy?"

An officer in a naval dress uniform cleared his throat loudly. "Our forces aren't as strong as they used to be, sir, but we're confident we still have a great fighting force. We've already begun moving several fleets to combat the amassing fleet over Novus Pacis. As for the other smaller fleets scattered around the universe, we thought it best to dedicate some small fleets to them so we can still eradicate them while focusing on Novus."

Hayes nodded as he thought out that plan. It definitely seemed doable, and they could still focus on Novus Pacis. He quickly nodded in agreement with the man and asked if there was anything else.

"Sir?" asked 'Vadum. "If I may bring up the Forerunner structure again…"

"Oh, of course," replied Hayes quickly, moving to the side to let 'Vadum show them where it was.

The alien rotated the map so that it focused on one side of the planet. Spero, Noceo, and the mountains were visible. The planet's capitol city was on the far left of the map, and one hundred fifty miles to the east was the small mountain range. A mile north of the mountains, was Noceo, the closest city to the Forerunner structure. 'Vadum pointed to the mountains, and at the tallest peak specifically. "There it is, General. The structure's library lies within that peak."

Hayes looked at it, and then at Noceo. "That's the city that hasn't evacuated anyone. Why?"

The intelligence officer cleared his throat. "Well, after the Covenant and the UNSC forces fought in the mountains, they moved and helped the Covenant there attack the city. Noceo was a rare case to begin with; the majority of the population in that city was alien. The soldiers there didn't have a chance…"

Another officer chimed in. "They're using it as a base of operations for now, sir."

Hayes looked from one man to the other. "Have we received any transmissions from anyone in the city?"

They all shook their heads gravely.

The general growled and shook his head in anger. _Bastards…_

"Sir!" shouted a communications officer. "There's a message coming in. It's from the prophet!"

"Patch it through," barked Hayes.

Suddenly, the image of the Prophet of Reclamation appeared. He was smiling and tapping his fingertips together casually. Hayes could already tell that this was a recording. After several moments, the San 'Shyuum began. "Humans, I'm sure all of you are aware that our forces have clashed once again. I must say: I'm not surprised. Did you really think we would give up everything for the sake of peace?" he asked incredulously. He frowned and rested his hands on his gravity throne's armrests. "No. Our Gods, in their wisdom, provided other ways of cleansing the universe besides the rings. And I, the Prophet of Reclamation, will activate this new structure, and our dreams will be fulfilled. You are weak creatures, humans. And you will feel the cleansing flame of the Great Journey!" He leaned forward and hissed, "Make no mistake of it."

Then, the message ended.

"Short and sweet," muttered someone.

'Vadum growled loudly and looked as though he wanted to punch someone. Hayes was feeling the same thing as he glared at the blank screen before him.

"So… what now?" asked the young advisor.

Hayes straightened and looked at them all quickly. "Now, we focus on making sure our people are safe, and kicking the covenant off our planet." The other officers all nodded in agreement, except for Pretman of course, who simply stood with his arms crossed. Hayes sighed and looked at them all. "Well, thank you, my friends. You're dismissed. But, 'Vadum, I wish to speak to you."

The large alien nodded in acknowledgement and waited as the other officers cleared out of the briefing room. Once they were alone, the large Sangheili asked, "How may I help you, my friend?"

Hayes looked at him sadly and asked quietly, "Where's Brewster? Do we know?"

'Vadum shook his head slowly. "No, general. He has vanished. But, a few of those working for him came forward out of shame and we have captured them."

"They know anything?"

"No. Obviously they were very low on the food chain. Those that were close to him and were actually useful to him remained loyal. All the files on his computers have been destroyed and there's no other evidence that can tell us of his collaborators."

Hayes shook his head in anger and tried not to kick anything around him. He had to be professional. "So he's gone and we have no way of finding him?" he asked angrily.

"Don't worry. He'll show his face again. They always do."


	20. Chapter 20: Close to Darkness

**Chapter 20: Close to Darkness**

**

* * *

**

_2335 Hours, September 27, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Noceo_

The two men panted as they jumped over the roadblock in the middle of the road. Silently as possible, they ran through the empty streets of Noceo and quickly ducked into a dark alley. The darkness hid them well; a brute would have to walk right into them to see them.

Tyler Walkins glanced back down the street from which they'd come, checking one last time for Covenant. Then, he checked the ammo on his weapon and saw that his current clip was almost empty. He quickly reloaded his weapon as he jogged toward Teddy and further in the alleyway. The darkness surrounded him for several long moments and he finally whispered fiercely, "Teddy?"

"I'm here, man," came the reply. Tyler was surprised to hear coming from his right. His head snapped over quickly and he saw a doorway leading into a dark room. Inside, the figure of Teddy was visible, moving around and looking at everything.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness as he slowly walked over and sat in an old chair in the center of the room. He shrugged his heavy backpack off and asked, "Teddy, what are you doin'?"

"Looking for some smokes," came the terse reply.

Tyler sighed. "Don't you always have some on you?" he asked in the darkness.

There was a loud thud and then, "No, I don't usually bring my whole stash when we go on a simple patrol! I wasn't expecting every damn Covenant soldier to decide to attack us."

Tyler and his friend had been hiding within the city for weeks now. The Covenant had begun attacking August 6, and nearly everyone had been killed. The soldiers attempted to put up a fight, but the Covenant were too many, and instead they were forced to hide amongst the destroyed city. Teddy for one, was livid to say the least.

Tyler stood in the darkness and walked over to him. "Hey, found any food?"

"Nope." This time the reply was a little less tense.

As the other man watched his friend, his thoughts wandered back to the barracks… where it was hidden. _I have to get back there,_ he said to himself. He tried to think of some excuse to get them back to the barracks. "Hey man… I've got some smokes back in my stash. With the rest of the booze."

The movement stopped, and by the raise in his voice's volume, he knew that Teddy was looking at him now. "You crazy?" he heard. "I want some cigarettes but I'm not stupid! The barracks is in the middle of the city: Covenant central!"

Tyler opened his mouth to say something else, another excuse, but he couldn't think of anything. Finally, he just said, "Teddy… we need to go back."

The silhouette of the younger man stood and faced him. "Why? You got a death wish?"

Tyler shifted his weight from one foot to the other before walking over and grabbing his backpack and weapon. "Listen, man you can stay here if you want to. I need to go back."

"Why?" asked the private.

The other man sighed deeply. "There's something there. Something… extremely important. I need to get it back." For the longest while, he heard nothing, so he said, "Look, man you don't have to come with. But I have to do this."

Tyler then turned and headed back out the way he'd come. As he stalked down the dark alley, a voice behind him said, "Hey, Tyler… I don't know what it is you're after but… I'm your friend and I got to look after you. So I'm coming with you."

* * *

_0101 Hours, September 28, 2563 (Military Calendar)_

Tyler poked his head around the corner and checked the street in front of him. It seemed to be completely dead, just like every other street in this city. But he knew that Covenant were everywhere and if there was one thing Chris taught him, it was to "expect the unexpected".

He glanced back at Teddy and said, "Okay, this street is really wide so we got to move."

The private simply nodded in reply.

Without giving it another thought, Tyler raced off into the open ground and ran in a zig-zag motion. He hoped that he motion would throw off any enemy trying to gun him down. And he was grateful when he heard the deep voice shouting behind him, "Human!" Seconds later, a fuel rod projectile was fired at him and hit mere inches behind his running feet.

The green explosion deafened him temporarily and threw him off his feet and into a small crater in the middle of the street. He groaned and ducked as another round was fired at him. At least his erratic running had made him harder to hit, or that first shot may have killed him.

"Tyler! Come on, man!" Teddy shouted, shaking him roughly.

Tyler groaned as he got to his feet, and quickly ran toward the other side of the street. Obviously there more Covenant around than he originally thought. Plasma was being fired from everywhere it seemed. The duo ducked inside a small shop, and Tyler peeked over the window pane to see where the fire was coming from.

There were at least ten Covenant brutes atop the buildings on the other side of the street. There was no way they would've seen the marines until they started running across the street. Tyler shook his head as he looked at them all, there was no way they could fight _all_ of them. And surely by now they'd called for reinforcements.

Teddy shook him as he crouched next to the window frame. "Come one, man! Get up!" he shouted before firing out the window.

Tyler quickly scrambled to his knees and raised his battle rifle toward the top of the building across the street. The brutes ducked down and away from the two lonely marines firing at them. Tyler watched small pieces of cement and concrete fly through the air as the bullets ripped into the building. Then, his weapon clicked as he pulled the trigger, and he ducked down to reload.

The Covenant took advantage of the moment and quickly the room the marines were hiding in was filled with plasma. Tyler and Teddy buried their faces into the dirty floor of the room as they felt the heat of the projectiles above them. Once the firing lessened, Tyler quickly pulled the pin on a fragmentation grenade and hurled it at the top of the building as hard as he could. He watched the brutes move away quickly before the grenade detonated. The blast took out a large portion of the building they were on top of, and the marines watched as the concrete and bodies fell onto the street. But the blast hadn't killed everyone.

Tyler fired his battle rifle at a brute helmet, smiling as he saw a small bit of blood fountain out from the bullets. Not knowing if the brute was still alive or not, he quickly changed targets to the Jiralhanae major preparing to fire the fuel rod cannon. Aiming quickly, he squeezed the trigger twice and watched the monster jerk sharply and drop his weapon. Tyler quickly aimed at the brute's head and squeezed the trigger again, finishing the monster.

The plasma fire got to hot though, and he quickly ducked down and checked his ammo count. Still good for a few more shots. Teddy dropped behind cover and swore loudly. "Shit! Reinforcements!"

"Shit!" shouted Tyler, copying his friend. "How many? Where?" he yelled over the noise of the plasma pounding the building.

Teddy moved over near the doorway and poked his head out and shouted back, "Five brutes and several more grunts on our ten." He looked back at Tyler and made a face.

Tyler knew what the young man was thinking, and said to himself, "We're screwed."

He quickly fired at the newcomers, killing a grunt and managing to injure a brute, but the remaining Covenant on the roof quickly pinned him down. Teddy fired out of the doorway and managed to finish off the brute, but he too was quickly pinned. Tyler growled and fired blindly over the window frame. He heard a gurgling sound, and knew he'd hit something.

Then, as he and Teddy lay flat on the floor reloading, they heard something: Gunfire. Tyler stopped changing his magazine and listened to the sound of the machine guns as they grew closer to their position. Hesitantly, Tyler peeked over the window frame and saw five soldiers moving toward the Covenant newcomers, guns blazing. They ducked behind some cement roadblocks and fired down at them, but they were still totally unaware of the Covenant on top of the building to their right.

"Teddy, we've gotta cover them!" Tyler shouted to his friend.

The private nodded his understanding and got on one knee to fire at the aliens on the rooftop. Tyler followed suit and carefully aimed at a brute major preparing to fire his carbine at one of the five new marines. He squeezed the trigger three times, releasing nine bullets into the monster's head. The beast jerked violently with every blow, and after the last rounds he toppled over the edge of the building, lifeless. Tyler and Teddy then fired on the last brute on top of the roof and together quickly killed him.

Suddenly, the street was silent. Tyler sighed slightly and shakily got up to look at the street. No Covenant. He looked at the five marines as they too rose from behind their cover and shouted, "Thanks!"

One of them, a hardened soldier with a scar above his eye nodded and hopped over a roadblock. "We heard the gunfire. Hoped we'd make it in time."

One of the other soldiers near him nodded in agreement. "There's hardly anyone left anymore," he said quietly.

The hardened soldier glanced his way before strapping his assault rifle to his back and holding out his hand. "Gunnery Sergeant Ian Beye."

Tyler took the hand and shook it fervently. "Corporal Tyler Walkins." Ian nodded and looked at Teddy, waiting for an introduction. "Oh, this is Private Teddy Brought, my friend."

Ian shook the kid's hand and said, "Alright, let's get out of the open and out of the city."

Tyler shook his head. "No, we've gotta get back to the barracks," he argued.

Ian looked at him incredulously and one of the other soldiers said, "What? Are you crazy?"

Teddy stepped in. "Look, I know I sounds crazy but there's something there that we have to get. It's extremely important."

Ian groaned. "What? Pictures? Keepsakes? I know that stuff is important but you're life is at stake here."

"No, that's not what is!" shouted Tyler.

"Then what is it?"

"I…" Tyler looked from Teddy back to Ian. "I'm not sure what it is," he admitted.

"Oh, come on," muttered one of the other soldiers in frustration.

Tyler sighed and shook his head. "It's… I don't know exactly what it is but I know it's extremely important." Ian shook his head and ran a sweaty hand over his face. Some of the other marines glared at Tyler, and said nothing. "I know it sounds crazy and stupid… but…" Tyler then shook his head in exasperation. There was no way to explain it to them.

Teddy stepped forward. "Tyler, man… we gotta go. Dawn's coming in a few hours."

Tyler nodded and without saying another word to the other marines, he and Teddy started walking down the street. "You need someone with experience!" shouted Ian. Seconds later, he appeared next to them, walking with them.

Tyler growled, but kept walking. "I thought, this didn't matter."

Ian shook his head. "I don't know what you're after... but if you're willing to risk you life to get it, I can't help but think that this is important. Count me in."

* * *

_0358 Hours, September 28, 2563 (Military Calendar)_

Tyler stepped into the dark building and shook his head in shock. The barracks was hardly recognizable anymore. There was debris strewn everywhere and half of the building had collapsed. Tyler quickly ran over to his bunk and ran a hand over it. The mattress was covered with concrete and it was ripped and burnt from fighting. He sighed as he tossed his weapon and pack onto the bed and dropped to his knees next to the metal frame of the bunkbed.

He moved some debris away with his hand and ran his hand over the floorboards, looking for the right one. Then, his gloved hand ran over a small hole, and he quickly stuck his finger through and lifted up the wood.

"What the hell?" Ian muttered, watching him move away other boards.

After a while, Tyler had moved away enough boards to reveal a large stash of food and alcohol. He looked up at his two companions and said, "Grab as much as you can. Who knows how long we'll be stuck in this city."

The two of them nodded in agreement and started grabbing the tins of food and shoving them into their packs. Tyler wasn't interested in the food though. He kept moving the tins out of the way, until he found it: His personal safe. It wasn't much of a safe really, simply a metal box with a three digit combination locking system.

Teddy and Ian looked up at the box and sent him questioning looks, but Tyler said nothing. He simply put in the combination and opened the box before he could give it another thought. There it was, thank God. Tyler closed his eyes as he remembered that night…

_Tyler frowned again and walked closer to the floating green case. As he neared, the lights began to blink furiously and the slots of the case began to shift. The soldier blinked several times as a "T" shaped object was ejected from the top. He looked at Foray and asked, "What is this?"_

_"The Activation Index." He moved closer to Tyler and said, "It's yours."_

_Tyler eyed the object and asked, "What will happen if I take it?"_

_"You'll insert it into the terminal and it will activate this installation. And then finally my creators' dream… your ancestors' dream… will be realized."_

_Even still, Tyler was hesitant and didn't take the object. What would happen? The orb said his ancestors wanted this. But what would happen? Would it be good? Would it be bad? Why would thousands of soldiers fight to make sure that this didn't happen? Did he really want to activate this weapon? Should he?_

_No._

_Tyler quickly grabbed the index and started back the way he'd come. Foray trailed behind and laughed giddily… until Tyler walked right be the activation terminal without inserting the index. "Reclaimer! You must insert the index!" the monitor shouted._

_"I'm doin' no such thing!" Tyler shouted back._

_He may not fully know what this thing was, but he knew that thousands had died trying to make sure that the Forerunner installations were activated. No matter what Foray said, he know he couldn't activate this installation. He couldn't undo everything that they'd done._

Tyler looked at the familiar piece of metal and slowly picked it up. Next to him, Ian said, "An index? You found an index?"

Teddy stopped and looked from the metal piece in Tyler's hands to Ian. "You know what that is?" he asked.

Ian nodded. "I fought in the last war. With the Chief. We talked about it all the time…" he then looked at Tyler. "You have the ability to destroy all life in the universe, my friend."

Tyler nodded and looked back at the "T" shaped device. "I know. And we need to get out of the city before we get killed or captured… and the Covenant get their hands on this thing."


	21. Chapter 21: Deadlock Part 1

**Alright, guys. The beginning of the battle for Spero. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 21: Deadlock—Part 1**

**

* * *

**

_0456 Hours, September 29, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero, Western Sector_

Chris breathed in the familiar smell of Spero. But, war changed everything, and this place didn't feel like his home anymore. With a sigh, he hefted his pack and weapon and walked over to the tent that was serving as the barracks while the offensives to take the city were going on. He dropped his bag roughly on the cot and looked around at the empty room.

It would've been so much better if Tyler were here. Chris still hadn't heard anything from his friend and was beginning to worry. Last he'd heard from his friend, Tyler had just gotten to Noceo and was settling down. Since then, he'd only heard news reports from other soldiers, all of them bearing bad news. Noceo had fallen quickly, and was now serving as the Covenant capitol on Novus Pacis.

He sighed and sat down on his bed. They'd begin the offensives soon and he needed at least a little rest. As he lay back on his cot, it wasn't long before he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_0658 Hours, September 29, 2563 (Military Calendar)_

Chris jumped violently as he heard the distant sounds of explosions and gunfire. One particularly large explosion shook the barracks slightly, and Chris wasted no time getting up off his cot. The barracks was full now. Soldiers were grabbing weapons and getting ready for the coming fight. He immediately grabbed his battle rifle and helmet and stood to follow them outside.

The early sun cast an orange glow over the city, but since half of the massive capitol was already burning, it made it seem like his whole world was on fire. Artillery was booming in the distance and the ever-present sound of fighting assaulted his ears. Chris quickly ran over to his CO, who was standing on top of a scorpion shouting orders.

"Okay, we're going to try and take back Spero today!" This statement was met with cheers and applause. The man waved his hands to quiet the crowd and started again. "Now, our plans have been accelerated by the Covenant artillery and assault…" Chris blinked in surprise. He had no idea that the Covenant had begun attacking the western side of Spero. They must be trying to take the rest of the city… this could be a problem. Chris shook his head though and paid attention to his CO. "Try and stay out of the streets and stick to cover. We'll try to keep you updated as you move through the city. Let's get to it!" he shouted.

The men around him scattered to their units, and Chris quickly walked over to his own troops. As a gunnery sergeant, he would be in charge of eleven men. Honestly, he missed his security team and wished that life would go back to normal. But his old life was gone, replaced by the hell that is war.

_Ugh. Focus, Chris. You've gotta fight ahead of you and you need to protect your team,_ he said to himself harshly.

He spotted his troops and shouted, "Atten-hut!" Instantly, the soldiers straightened and stood at attention. He nodded and said, "Okay, it's time. You all know we've got a fight ahead of us, so we've all gotta watch each other's backs. Alright?" he asked.

"Yes, sir!" they shouted back.

"Okay then. Arm up and let's head out," he ordered. _Very inspiring speech, Chris,_ he chided himself. Oh well. He'd never actually had to lead men into battle before and this was totally new. He quickly checked his weapon and made sure his grenades were in good shape. It seemed like this was going to be a tough fight and he needed all the weaponry he could carry.

Minutes later, he shouted to his troops that it was time and the twelve of them ran through the streets with thousands of other soldiers. On his HUD, the city was mapped out and he saw that there was a massive red spot a half mile ahead. Chris tried to focus on running through the streets, but he couldn't help but think: _Are there that many Covenant?_ The CO had said that the aliens had begun attacking, but he never imagined that there would be so many. This was more serious than he'd thought.

Up ahead, he saw a large group of soldiers stopping and firing at the top of a hill. Chris knew they were on one of the main streets in Spero and up ahead was the dividing line between the human and alien sides of the city. Several large cement roadblocks were on the street, providing cover for fighting troops, but that wasn't all. All the surrounding buildings had been pounded by artillery and had been reduced to mere skeletal figures compared to their previous forms. Only a few walls were left of each of the buildings, and each and every area of cover was occupied by a marine, defending the hill from the Covenant assault. Besides that, debris from collapsing buildings littered the streets, providing more cover. Craters filled the road, making it nearly impossible to drive over in a warthog or mongoose. An elephant or scorpion was large enough to driver over the craters and make it to the frontline.

Chris waved his team forward to a building near the road and ordered them to get behind cover. Whatever this building was before the war, it was impossible to tell it was so devastated. Chris crouched behind a cement window frame and looked down at the steep hill at the Covenant.

They had a similar situation, as far as the destruction goes. In fact, every building in between the two forces was leveled and crumbling down beneath the massive fighting. The ground shook with each explosion. At the bottom of the hill, hundreds of Covenant soldiers were firing at the human lines. Wraiths released massive blue projectiles onto the UNSC forces, and banshees screamed over head, pelting them with plasma. The pulverized street was filled with the aliens as they desperately launched charge after charge, hoping to weaken the defending marines and push on to take the rest of the city.

Chris jumped slightly as a M808B tank fired down at the aliens, deafening him slightly. Now, he noticed more of the tanks moving forward and launching rounds at the attackers. They stopped behind the roadblocks and providing additional cover for the humans. The rounds did serious damage to the Covenant and surrounding environment. He watched a large group of them explode as the projectiles hit them dead-on, leaving nothing but a bloody crater in the road.

Chris smiled to himself, and raised his battle rifle to add to the destruction. He aimed at a large group of Covenant down at the bottom of hill and fired several times. The aliens were taking on so much damage, he couldn't tell who he hit exactly. But so many Covenant were down there he must've hit at least one alien. Again, he smiled to himself and fired down.

Humanity seemed to have the upper hand.

"Incoming!" someone screamed.

Instinct took over, and Chris immediately dropped onto his stomach and covered his head with his arms. The whole building, or what was left of it, shook violently as he felt a large amount of heat, and he swore that for an instant he was shaken so hard he lifted off the ground. Small pieces of concrete fell onto his back, and Chris looked up to see what had happened.

The entire room was filled with dust and he could hardly see anyone else. He coughed in dust and got on one knee to fire down at the Covenant attackers. But the dust provided a screen in front of him, and he couldn't find a target. Rather than firing blind and wasting ammo, he looked around and outside to see the damage. The round had hit closer than he'd originally thought. The tanks outside were burning and dead marines lay dead around the vehicles. A crater the size of a warthog was in the middle of the road, adding to the destruction.

Chris moved back toward his window and fired down at the Covenant, not wanting to look at the damage done to them anymore. The dust had settled and he could see the Covenant now and aimed carefully at a large group of grunts and jackals. Several dropped quickly, but Chris couldn't help but notice that the artillery round had weakened the human lines enough that the Covenant soldiers were able to get closer.

More soldiers moved into the streets to equal out the defenses and soon enough, tanks moved up. Again, the ground shook constantly from their firing and Chris watched large craters appear in the road from the rounds. But, the Covenant kept coming up the hill.

Chris tried to fire down on them, but again, someone screamed, "Incoming!"

This time, it was a banshee firing down directly onto Chris's position. He moved himself up against the wall as much as possible and covered his head. The plasma flew through the building, killing more marines than Chris thought possible on a single strafing run. The Covenant brought their A-game today. They must want this bad.

Chris moved out to fire down at the Covenant again, but he quickly was pinned down by several brutes firing on their building. As he crouched down beneath the cement window frame, he could the _ping, ping, ping, _of the rounds hitting the building. He watched as the spikes buried themselves into several unlucky marines, knocking them off their feet.

_Shit. We're getting killed out here,_ he thought to himself. When he couldn't hear the sounds of the spiker rounds anymore, he got on one knee and jumped up to fire down at the Covenant. But they weren't so far away anymore. In fact, Chris hardly had to use his scope anymore.

He switched on his helmet's comm. system and shouted over the roar of the battle, "Move out to the street to try and hold them off better, team!" he shouted to his troops. He then switched over to a different frequency and spoke to one of the battle operations officers. "Are you getting reinforcements down here?" he shouted.

There was a brief pause before the calm voice said, "Our troops are spread thin enough as it is. We've dispatched a few more troops to your position. Make them count. Over."

Chris shook his head in anger as he crouched behind the cement roadblock in the middle of the road. The rest of his team spread out around him, filling up any empty spots on the line. Here, the roar of the scorpions was deafening and the ground shook constantly. As Chris glanced back, he saw a large group of marines moving toward them. There must've been at least a hundred, but Chris wasn't even sure that that was enough soldiers to hold back the Covenant flood.

He growled and turned to fire at the Covenant again, alarmed at how close the aliens had gotten. Chris squeezed the trigger several times on a brute, satisfied as he watched the beast topple over. He quickly reloaded, and watched as the new soldiers quickly mowed down a large number of Covenant. But still, they kept coming.

Chris now became very aware of all the marines screaming as they defended this road. It seemed that the marine were dying quicker than the Covenant. Even so, Chris fired into the massive mob in front of him. If he was going to die, he'd take as many Covenant as he could with him. Then, a voice shouted, yet again, "Incoming!"

This time, someone grabbed Chris by his collar and dragged him into the building that he'd been in only moments before. He hardly did anything as he was thrown to the ground, just in time to feel it shake tremendously. For several seconds he didn't move, but the sound of the screaming behind him told him how devastating that mortar round had been. Before he could look at the destruction, his helmet's comm. system came to life. "All defending UNSC forces, fall back. I repeat: Fall back. We've set up secondary defenses further west of your positions. We're simply taking too much damage to hold out at your current locations."

Chris groaned and got to his feet, searching for his weapon on the ground. He looked around for the one who'd saved his life, and saw that it was his XO, Sergeant Jesse Coleman. The man gripped his collar again and hauled him to his feet. "You alright, sir?" he asked loudly.

Chris felt like someone had stuffed cotton balls into his ears. "Yeah!" he shouted back as he finally found his weapon.

It was a sad sight. Watching the UNSC retreat from their positions and giving up more land to the Covenant. But, they had no choice. The Covenant had won this round, clearly.


	22. Chapter 22: Deadlock Part 2

**Chapter 22: Deadlock—Part 2**

**

* * *

**

_2349 Hours, September 30, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, Over the city of Spero_

Sergeant Lincoln Hayes looked down at the city from the back of the pelican. He couldn't help but shake his head at the familiarity of the situation. Only four days ago, he was flying over the devastated city, preparing for his mission to help evacuate civilians from the city. He hoped the rest of the evacuations had gone according to plan, because by the looks of the city, anyone who hadn't gotten out must be dead.

He grimaced as the battle operations officer continued to update them on the fighting below. Apparently hundreds had been killed in the first battle and that number continued to rise as the Covenant artillery continued to hammer their defenses. The infantry had stopped charging to lick their wounds, and according to command, this was the perfect chance to strike.

Their mission was simple: Wreak havoc on the Covenant and confuse them so they could not adequately defend against the next UNSC attack. After looking over a map of the city and aerial photos of the Covenant positions, Lincoln had found the perfect targets: A communications array deep in the Covenant part of the city and two of the artillery emplacements. If they could destroy those two targets, then the Covenant couldn't communicate with all their forces, and the artillery couldn't do as much damage and give the UNSC forces a chance.

The pelican shuddered violently as they neared the LZ. The closer they got, the tougher the air defenses grew. Again, the pelican shuddered and Lincoln worried that if might just fall apart and plummet to the ground. He quickly put his helmet on and double checked his weapon as the pilot's voice boomed through the back of the drop ship. "One minute to the LZ," he said.

For this mission, command had thought it best if they cut their number down to only four. That way they'd at least be a little bit harder to detect. Seth, Grandpa, and Priest all finished loading and checking their weapons, and quickly stood, ready for the fight. Lincoln nodded to them once, and then looked down at the rapidly approaching ground.

As the pelican hovered over the small LZ, Lincoln looked at his small team. "Go, go, go!" he shouted as he put a hand on each of their backs and practically threw them outside of the drop ship. He jumped out last, and rolled as he hit the ground.

Then, he quickly got on one knee and scanned the area with his weapon, satisfied in seeing that everyone else was already doing the same. After several long seconds, he stood and fully took in their surroundings. They were standing on what was left of a once tall building, a large pile of concrete, rebar, and structuring. Looking out around them, Lincoln could see that almost every building in side had been hammered down until it was only a skeletal form of what it had once been. Smoke rose in the distance, and the distant sound of gunfire and artillery was constant. Lincoln shook his head as he started walking down the debris hill and shouted, "Fall in!"

Seconds later, all four men were crouched between two large pieces of structuring which hid them perfectly. As it started to rain, hardly any fell on the soldiers from the shelter. Lincoln sighed as he looked at them all. "Okay, you all know our assignment. Hit the communications array and the artillery emplacements. Read me?" he barked.

"Yes, sir!" they all shouted back.

Lincoln nodded quickly and rose to his feet, suddenly becoming aware of the rain. With a quick scan of the area and nod to his teammates, they were off.

_0100 Hours, October 1, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero, Eastern Sector_

Lincoln ran through the pouring rain in the street, panting with exhaustion. So far, they'd seen very few Covenant, but Lincoln had a feeling all that was about to change. The shattered street filled with craters and debris made the journey difficult, but they were all appreciative for the cover.

As the fire team approached an intersection in the street, a large group of at least ten Covenant rounded the corner. Lincoln instantly reacted by diving into a crater and shouting, "Get to cover!" He hoped they hadn't been spotted, but then the sound of gunfire shattered that.

Getting on one knee, he raised his suppressed M7S SMG and fired a small burst into a brute, smiling as he saw the tall monster jerk violently. Again, he squeezed the trigger for a few seconds and watched the beast topple over. He lowered his weapon slightly, searching for a new target, but there was too much debris in front of him. The sergeant got to his feet and ran over a large mound of debris and ducked down as he attracted a large amount of fire in his direction. Lincoln quickly jumped down behind a large piece of concrete right next to Seth. "Come on, you bloody bastards!" the man was yelling.

Lincoln couldn't help but laugh as he raised his weapon and searched for more targets. It seemed that in the time it took him to get up the front, the number of Covenant had doubled. He growled to himself and fired at them quickly, trying not to count them. The rain intensified, making a sort of screen between the two sides. Lincoln squinted to see his targets, and fired into the nearest Covenant soldier, a brute. The beast jerked violently with each tiny impact, and after a long burst, toppled over onto the ground.

He moved his weapon to the right, and quickly killed two grunts with two short bursts. A jackal moved in front of him, and immediately met his end. Seth cheered next to him, and Lincoln knew that he was also doing well. Seconds later, the sharp crack of a sniper rifle was heard and a large brute dropped to the ground. Wasn't long before a second was heard and then another dropped down. "Thank you, Priest," muttered Lincoln to himself.

Only a minute later, the last Covenant soldier dropped to the muddy ground. Lincoln stood and surveyed the area as Seth ran ahead, firing his battle rifle into the heads of a few. "Seth! What the hell are you doing?"

The European turned around and shrugged. "Makin' sure they're dead, boss," he said in his thick accent.

Shaking his head, Lincoln jumped over the concrete barrier and stalked over to Seth. "Yeah, well I'd say you did a better job of making yourself a target for snipers, you jackass!" he yelled. Without waiting for a response, he looked up and saw Grandpa and Priest jogging up. "You good?"

Before either of them could respond, the distant sound of Covenant gunfire and shouting could be heard. Priest's head snapped up and he jogged to the corner of the street. "Sir!" he shouted into the team's comm. system. "There's a shitload of them headed our way! They must've heard us fighting!"

Lincoln wasted no time and instantly ran toward Priest, but instead of looking around the corner, went to the building's door and kicked it open. "Get your asses in here!" he shouted. The four men quickly sprinted into the dark, abandoned building and crouched down behind cover.

Lincoln looked around them, and disappointed in his choice for a hiding place. Almost the entire building was destroyed; two of the walls and the roof had caved in, leaving the marines almost completely exposed, and the Covenant voices were getting closer. Lincoln quickly said, "Move back and behind debris. Be quiet." Silently, the men moved further into the debris, hiding behind what was left of the building. Lincoln tapped Priest's shoulder and pointed him forward. "Watch them," he whispered.

The sniper nodded and inched forward, crouching beneath the window frame. Seconds later, a large company of Covenant ran by. At least a hundred alien soldiers. Lincoln ducked down lower as a few officers stopped and looked at the dead Covenant. Priest looked at them briefly and held up five fingers behind his back. Lincoln nodded to himself. _Five officers_.

Then, he heard their voices…

"Hmm…" said the obvious leader in his deep voice. "Human weapons killed these soldiers."

"Yes, sir," said one of the others.

"But how? They occupy the western half of this city," argued a third.

"The humans are not as foolish as we originally thought. Obviously they're after something here." There was a pause, and then the leader shouted. "Humans are here… and judging by the these wounds, they must be close. Find them!"

Lincoln jumped as Priest appeared next to him. The sniper gripped his uniform collar and whispered fiercely, "We gotta get outta here!"

The sergeant waved to the others to leave, and they quickly ran from the demolished building and through the destroyed streets. Lincoln jumped over a small crater and vaulted over a twisted piece of metal structuring. The rain had quickly turned each crater into a muddy mess as the humans ran through them. The sergeant spotted a large crater and jumped inside, spraying his teammates with the filthy water. "Okay," he said over the roar of the rain. "Let's try and be more careful through here. Alright?"

The question was drowned out by an explosion near them. On instinct, Lincoln grabbed his helmet and buried his face into the muddy water as another exploded. The ground shook violently, and the soldiers smelled the foul stench of plasma. After a third ground shaking boom, Lincoln crawled to the edge of the crater and saw a large brute armed with a fuel rod cannon with at least ten others behind him. "Damn!" he shouted, letting himself slide back down toward his men. "Seth, Grandpa, Priest and I will lay down covering fire while you guys move to the crater on our right! Be ready for my order."

The two men nodded and got into position while the sniper and the sergeant moved toward the edge of the crater. "Covering fire!" screamed Lincoln before moving forward and unloading his weapon toward the Covenant. "Go, go, go!" he yelled to the other two. He didn't hear or see them as they ran to their right, but he knew they'd do their job. Priest aimed carefully at the brute wielding the fuel rod cannon and fired twice, killing the monster quickly. Lincoln aimed a large group of grunts and squeezed the trigger hard, smiling as the rounds dropped most of the small aliens.

Gunfire from their right killed several brutes and grunts, and Priest joined in by killing another brute. But, the Covenant weren't out of the fight yet. "Use those grenades!" shouted a brute. Then, three blue plasma grenades appeared and were thrown toward the four marines. Lincoln buried his face in the dirt again and grit his teeth as they exploded nearby, shaking the ground. Dirt and water showered over the men as they moved up to try and continue their earlier onslaught.

Brutes fired their spikers at the soldiers, pinning them down. More grenades sailed through the air, landing just a little in front of the craters where the men were hiding. By now, Lincoln's ears were ringing loudly, and he could barely himself think. Through the haze, he watched a brute raise and throw a spike grenade in their direction, and to his horror, it landed right behind them. "Priest!" he barely heard himself yell.

He roughly grabbed the man by his collar and hauled him to his feet. They ran and jumped into another smaller crater to their left, just as the grenade exploded. They were lucky enough not to be hit by the small pieces of shrapnel. Lincoln groaned as he rolled forward and blindly fired his SMG toward the enemy while slowly regaining his hearing. Priest fired his sniper rifle twice, killing a brute captain and a minor. Gunfire from the right was quickly killing the remaining jackals and grunts, and Priest's precise shooting was quickly finishing off the brute officers. The sergeant quickly killed a small grunt, and dispatched another with a few shots to the head.

Then, a few moments later, the street was silent. Lincoln reloaded and peeked over the edge of the crater for any surviving enemies, but when he saw none, immediately climbed out. "Fall in!" he shouted. Wasn't long before all four of them were standing amongst the carnage.

"Where's the first target, boss?" asked Seth.

Lincoln growled at the man. "Seth, for the last time, you call me 'sir'. And I'm looking at that right now, you prick," he said as he pulled up a map on his HUD. After looking at it for a few moments, he announced, "The communications array is a quarter mile to the east. And the artillery emplacements are two miles south of that."

The three men nodded in response, and headed off east without another word. Lincoln had hoped they wouldn't encounter many Covenant, but such wishes were unlikely to come true when you're that deep behind enemy lines. The rain still hadn't let up, and now everything, including the men, was completely soaked. The soldiers stomped through the muddy street, trading stealth and silence for speed.

Grandpa, who was on point, stopped abruptly and held up one hand for them to halt. The three other men melted into the darkness of the alley they were in and waited for him to tell them what he saw. The old man balled his fist, and then shook his hand twice. Twenty Covenant soldiers. _What is that? The magic number tonight?_ thought Lincoln angrily.

He quickly pushed past his three other teammates, looked down the street and quickly saw that the old man was right. But, he also saw the large Covenant communications array. He growled and said into the team comm. system, "Let's move further down. I can see the array, but let's not fight through twenty soldiers to get to it."

The men followed orders and ran through the devastated streets further down until they were only a few hundred yards away from the array. Lincoln waved for them to cut through a demolished building, and quickly ducked inside after them. It was dark and dusty, but it adequately hid them from the road and prying eyes. The sergeant ducked through the debris and crouched down behind the window frame to look at the communications array. It was only a little ways away, but unfortunately, heavily guarded. Obviously the Covenant realized what a juicy target it would be. Lincoln growled and walked over to join his team further back in the building.

"Okay, boys," he started. "Unfortunately, we've got a shitload of guards over there, so getting close to that thing is gonna be hard."

"So we try stealth," suggested Seth.

Lincoln nodded. "Yes," he looked at Priest. "But we'd need a spotter. Someone to look out for us."

The sniper nodded and looked above them. "I'm sure I can find a good place to hide up somewhere around here."

Lincoln nodded. "Okay then. Seth, Gramps, you're with me. Priest, you find a good place to hang out while we blow the array. Got it?" he barked.

"Sir, yes, sir!" the men replied quickly, but not loud enough for the Covenant to hear.

Without wasting anymore time, Lincoln stood and jogged back out the way they'd come. He heard the footstep of Grandpa and Seth behind him and let them to another building that surrounded the array. They crouched through the structure and looked at the guards on this side. There were hardly any. "Okay, Priest," started Lincoln. "watch for any Covenant headed our way. But besides that I think we'll be fine."

"Roger," came the immediate reply.

Then, without giving it another thought, Lincoln sprinted out from the building and dove into a nearby crater, soaking himself with muddy water. The other two ODSTs were right behind him and the three of them then surveyed the area in front of them. Other large pieces of debris and damage offered good hiding places and cast large shadows. Plenty of places for the trained commandos to hide.

"Get out the explosives," ordered Lincoln quietly. Seth and Grandpa shrugged off large backpacks and pulled out what their sergeant was interested in. Lincoln looked from the explosives to the structure and asked, "How do you think we should do this?"

Seth, in his life before the military, had studied explosives and their effects, and structural engineering. The man shrugged and looked at the tower-like array. "Well, if you wanna do serious damage that they definitely couldn't fix anytime soon, I'd say you'd need to take out at least two of the four legs on that thing. And maybe toss one up near the dish," he hypothesized.

The array was supported by four large legs that set it above the ground and away from fighting there. The communications equipment itself was at least twenty feet off the ground. Lincoln looked at it and could see how explosions in those locations would cripple that array. "Okay, let's do it," he ordered.

The three men then raced from the crater, across the open ground, and dove into another large depression right next to one of the legs. Now, Seth was in charge. "Linc, set one of the charge there near that joint, and Grandpa, you head over and do the other. I'll get one up by the dish."

The two men nodded, and set to their tasks. Lincoln set the timer, and primed the bomb before looking for the weak spot Seth had pointed out. Carefully, he stuck the explosives onto the joint of the mechanical legs and looked at Grandpa, who was crawling over the other structural support, twenty feet away. Seth checked the area before jogging out and throwing a bomb up near the equipment, before running back toward his teammates. "Okay, we're good," he said.

Lincoln nodded, but Priest cut in before he could say anything. "Guys, there a small patrol headed your way from the north. I don't want to engage and give away my position unless I have to. Over."

Lincoln looked up and saw the group of five brutes walking toward them. "Roger, we see them. I think we can get out unnoticed. The bombs are set. Over." To Grandpa and Seth, he said, "Hurry, let's get outta here."

The three men raced across the ground again, grateful for the debris and destructions and the cover it provided. The sergeant checked behind him, and saw the brutes walking around where they'd been not a minute before. But, they hadn't found the explosives. Priest jogged up and said, "You guys did good. Even I lost track of you for a minute."

Seth laughed. "Hell, man. We're ODSTs! The tough stuff is our specialty!" He laughed a moment more and then said, "Let's get outta here and head toward the artillery emplacements. I don't wanna blow this thing till were relatively far away."

"Agreed," said Lincoln.

The four men then followed Lincoln back out to the dark, rainy streets and toward the artillery emplacements. When they were a safe distance, Seth hit the switch. The explosions could be felt from where they were, and the blasts lit up the night. They watched the structure topple over onto its side, unbalanced by the explosives on its two legs. But, they didn't have time to stare, and quickly ran south down the street.

Seth, who was on point this time, stopped abruptly and waved for them hide, and fast. Lincoln and the European ducked behind a large piece of nearby building that had toppled over, while the sniper and Grandpa jumped into a crater. Soon enough, a large group of wraiths appeared from around the corner, surrounded by hundreds of brutes, jackals, and grunts. Lincoln instinctively ducked down lower and watched until after several minutes, the last had passed up the street.

"Were all those buggers headed up to the frontline?" asked Seth.

"I think so," said Lincoln absentmindedly.

"Damn," said Priest.

Lincoln regained composure and faced his team. "Okay, boys, we don't have a lot of time and we have to get this assignment done! Let's move out!"

Again, the teammates took off down the street, dodging debris and other devastation as they went. Lincoln hopped over a small crater, and slipped on wet metal as he vaulted over a piece of old structuring. He growled to himself as he continued to run, angry at the rain and its setbacks.

After several long minutes, the four ODSTs ran into a dark building and stopped. Lincoln and Priest walked through the devastation and looked out the back window and smiled to each other. The two artillery emplacements. Priest took the scope off of his weapon and surveyed the area carefully. "Well," he said after a while. "there's plenty of Covenant around here. We're probably gonna have to do what we did last time. Hmm…" he paused for a while. "There's a lot of explosive ammo near those emplacements. I think we could utilize those very well."

"Good, let's head back," ordered Lincoln, already turning around to head back.

Seth and Grandpa were checking over their weapons when they found them. Lincoln briefed them on what Priest had found and said, and he agreed with the sniper's observation about the artillery rounds. The sniper offered to find another high vantage point and help the three marines find a way to the emplacements themselves. Lincoln nodded and said, "Okay, let's head out then. We do this, we get outta here."

The sergeant led two of his men through some of the destroyed buildings, and around to a better place to get to the emplacement. Lincoln crouched down behind some cover and whispered, "Okay, on my mark." He surveyed the area again and said, "Mark." The men sprinted across the open ground and hit amongst some debris as a patrol passed by.

Priest's voice was heard. "Stay where you are, guys," he said. "There's an officer coming. You're about twenty feet from the nearest one."

"Thanks," Lincoln said. Then, as the second patrol passed by, they again raced across the clearing toward the nearest emplacement. From here, Seth took over.

"G-pa, you take this batch and place some near the rounds, on the support structures, and underneath the main cannon. I'll take the rest to the other. Boss," he said to Lincoln. "you help Priest watch out for us."

Lincoln nodded, and hid amongst the shadows as he watched his two teammates head off to their jobs. Priest continued to update them on the whereabouts of the Covenant, but they seemed to be in the clear. Then, suddenly, the sharp crack of a sniper rifle was heard. Lincoln froze and listened as two more shots followed. Somewhere nearby, a gurgling sound was heard and a large brute dropped to the ground.

But, the three shots set off a chain reaction. Several brutes began to shout out in surprise and a few shots were fired. He heard the loud sound of his team returning fire, and decided he had to intervene. Lincoln jumped to his feet and ran toward the sounds of the small fight. He found Grandpa firing towards a small group of Covenant while Seth attached an explosive to one of the main support structures for the artillery emplacement.

Lincoln quickly decided to jump next to Grandpa and help hold off the small group and give Seth a chance to set the charges. He sprinted towards the veteran soldier and dropped to stomach on the dirt and opened fire. The closest brute stumbled and, clutching his throat, fell to the ground. Another quickly toppled over as Grandpa and Lincoln redirected their fire. The sergeant grabbed a frag grenade from his belt and hurled it toward the onslaught of brutes. Seth grabbed him by the shoulder and yelled, "We're done! Let's get out of—" The last part by drowned out by the blast of the grenade.

Lincoln and Grandpa jumped to their feet and sprinted across the open ground towards some of the buildings nearby, firing at Covenant as they went. Seconds later, they felt the grounds shake and knew their mission was complete.


	23. Chapter 23: Deadlock Part 3

**Chapter 23: Deadlock—Part 3**

**

* * *

**

_1136 Hours, October 1, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero, Western Sector_

Chris panted as he ran through the streets with the other soldiers. Only minutes before they'd received word of the successful destruction of the artillery emplacements and the comm. array. Now it was time for them to move, before the Covenant had a chance to recover from the blow.

The ground shook and the thundering of feet was deafening. Chris barely heard the sound of his colonel's voice coming through his comm. system. "Okay, men!" the deep voice said. "Now's our chance to take back Spero! So let's really make the Covenant regret coming here!" Chris must not have been the only who heard it, as hundreds of soldiers cheered and roared as they ran.

Before long, Chris saw the flashes of muzzles as they came up to the secondary defenses set up earlier to stop the Covenant when the first charge failed. The ground shook constantly from the numerous explosions and thundering feet. Over the heads of the soldiers, Chris could see at least twenty elephants lined up, making a massive wall of metal. All machine guns facing the Covenant were firing, peppering the aliens with thousands of projectiles. Atop one, further back than the others, an officer used a loud speaker to direct the soldiers and spread them out evenly. "More troops over here! You three, man that turret! More troops to the right!"

Chris looked around at the dispersing troops and noticed some of them going in between the massive vehicles to barricades in front of the massive wall. He quickly decided that that way may be a better option, and jogged over to it. He didn't realize it was possible for it to get any louder until he reached the barricades. The ground shook even more and he was deafened in moments with the roar of machine guns and the explosions of grenades in the Covenant lines. Around him, hundreds of soldiers hunkered down and fired at the rapidly approaching Covenant, but it was impossible to tell who shot who. It seemed that once the Covenant reached a certain point, the turrets and the hundreds of soldiers chewed them to bits. The carnage was unbelievable.

Chris wasted no more time, and fired into the massive wall of aliens, adding to the bloody mess. Try as he might, he couldn't tell who his bullets were hitting, but damage was definitely being done. Hundreds of Covenant soldiers ran forward only to be ripped apart by the UNSC forces.

"Incoming!" someone nearby screamed. On instinct, Chris dropped down and covered his head with his hands. Seconds later, the ground shook violently and he heard screaming. The smell of burning flesh and blood assaulted him, and he prepared himself to look at the carnage.

There was raining dirt around him and only a few feet away several men were screaming. But it wasn't anything close to an artillery round. It must've been a wraith. The ground shook again, as another blue plasma mortar landed among the human lines. The shaking became more frequent as more wraiths began to pound the secondary defenses. Luckily only half did any real damage.

Struggling to keep his balance on one knee, Chris continued to fire into the brutes, grunts, and jackals. Finally, they seemed to back off. Before they were killed by the onslaught of bullets, more and more Covenant soldiers tried to turn back, but were forced forward by the hundreds of soldiers behind them. After a while, they turned and ran back the way they'd come, back to their own defenses set up further back in the city.

Chris cheered with the other hundreds of soldiers as they watched the Covenant turn back and run. The commanding officers ducked their heads down and tried to listen as more orders were given to them through their comm. systems. Seconds later, the COs shouted, "Move forward! Push them back! Take the city!"

Once again, the sound of cheering was deafening as the UNSC forces moved forward. The elephants moved and made way for warthogs, mongoose, and scorpions. The tanks rumbled past, firing at the distant wraiths that were still pounding the human lines. As Chris ran by, the ground shook violently as two of the tanks fired simultaneously. He saw the two explosions nearly a half mile away; one hitting a wraith and another demolishing a building next to another one.

Chris stopped watching the tanks and focused on the road in front of him. On his HUD he was only a few hundred yards behind the large red mass that represented the retreating Covenant. A large explosion made him and the others stumble, and he quickly caught a glimpse of the Covenant side of the city and its defenses. Wraiths were in the middle of the streets and surrounded by turrets and barricades. On the rooftops there were turrets and the green projectiles of anti aircraft wraiths flew back and forth further in the background. He shook his head as he began running down the street again.

After a while, the men in front of him began to disperse out from the road and into the surrounding buildings. Chris jumped over a small crater before quickly ducking inside what used to be a small café with a few other soldiers. As near as he could tell, they were close to very front line. On his HUD, many red dots were dispersed amongst the buildings about a hundred yards in front of them and there weren't that many yellow dots between him and them. The tanks were just reaching the edge of the plane on his radar and were firing in front of the infantry. An order to stay down was announced over the comm. system as the tanks hammered the Covenant positions.

Chris watched the projectiles demolish the barely-standing buildings and send the aliens flying. Seconds later, there was the sound of and then the words "Move up! Kill 'em all!" boomed through his helmet's speakers. He burst from his hiding place and searched for a target in the dust and smoke. He spotted the small form of a grunt as it stumbled through the haze, and quickly put three rounds through its head. A brute caught his eye and he squeezed his trigger several times until the beast dropped to the ground. The dust began to settle and he could see a small group of grunts hiding behind a pile of rubble and firing at troops to his left. Out of the corner of his eye, Chris saw another soldier already begin firing at them, and he quickly joined in.

A shout to his left caught Chris's attention and he quickly redirected his aim to the source of the noise. A pair of jackals used their energy shields to cover each other and fired toward a small group of marines pinned down behind some debris. Chris figured they were the source of the sound and fired at their feet. After a few shots, one of the aliens shrieked and dropped to the ground, clutching his leg and exposing the other. The marine next to Chris quickly finished both off and stepped out of cover a ways to survey the area for more enemies.

"Clear!" he shouted a moment later. The soldier then ran over piles of rubble and into another building, looking for more enemies. Chris took the chance to reload his weapon and watched the other twenty soldiers run after him. Once he slammed the new clip home, he quickly climbed over the debris he'd been hiding behind and ran into the dilapidated house. After running through a few rooms, he spotted the majority of those other soldiers at the window frames, firing across a large street into another long line of buildings. He ducked as he ran and sat down next to one of them and looked down his left and right. Through the demolished buildings, he could see he was just one in a long line of troops firing at the Covenant positions. Across the street, their enemies were in a similar situation as they fired back at the marines. The street between was a guaranteed deathtrap.

Chris fired his weapon a small group of grunts crowding on window, and smiled as he saw a small pillar of blood appear from one. A brute jumped up and caught his eye, but before he could fire the beast was cut down by some of the other marines. The sound of gunfire was deafening as the soldiers continuously filled the other buildings with bullets. Chris unloaded his weapon into one window, hoping to kill the hiding jackals hiding in the back. When the weapon clicked, he automatically ejected the spent clip and slammed in another, all the while watching the other marines and looking for more targets.

Then, Covenant reinforcements arrived to the small deadlock. A wraith had somehow managed to move through what had been a demolished building, and its large blue form appeared through the smoke like a specter. "Wraith!" screamed someone, and seconds later the tank unleashed a large blue mortar on the human positions.

Chris threw himself on the ground, as he'd done hundreds of times before and covered his head. The ground shook violently and dust fell from the already weakened buildings. He could feel small bits of concrete and parts of the wall collapsing around him, and could hear the sound of screaming from his lines. After several moments, he lifted his head.

The room he was in was filled with dust and as he got to his hands and knees small bits of concrete fell off him. Further down the line several men lay on the ground motionless and burned. Several others around them clutched limbs that had obviously taken heavy damage from the projectile and others crawled away from the site, disoriented. Some of the troops moved to fill the empty spaces while others tended to the wounded by dragging them away from the heaviest fighting. Chris again took his place along the window and prayed for heavier reinforcements.

Moments later, those prayers were answered. On his HUD, two large yellow dots were moving up the streets toward the location of the skirmish. Tanks. Chris silently thanked God and fired his battle rifle with a new fervor as he could feel them rumbling closer. The lone wraith released another blue mortar further down the line, and then turned to face its enemies, but too late. Before it could fire another shot, the two tanks fired simultaneously, both hitting their target. The Covenant vehicle exploded in a large ball of blue flame that shook the ground violently.

The two scorpions fired on the Covenant positions, and one well-placed shot demolished what was left of an entire building! Cheers erupted from the human positions as they fired with the large vehicles at their enemies across the street. It wasn't long before the few remaining Covenant realized how futile it was defending that position. Again, Chris watched the aliens abandon their positions and run deeper into the city. _This is easy!_ he thought to himself.

Once the humans were sure of the Covenant's full retreat from that street, they quickly sprinted across in pursuit. On his HUD, Chris could see the retreating red dots moving further into their part of the city and toward a large grouping of Covenant. As Chris asked himself what it was, static crackled in his ear before a voice said, "All units, you are approaching a large Covenant defense system. They have heavy vehicles, anti-air defenses, barricades, and a large number of infantry. Be advised, artillery support is being organized. Over."

Chris quickly jumped over some debris as he moved through the inside of what used to be an office and looked for the Covenant defenses. Seconds later, he saw an entire block of buildings in front of him that had been leveled so that the tallest remaining structure was only as tall as his waist. Rising up like an imposing wall, was a line of buildings only partially demolished. From the windows were the barrels of, and in large windows large turrets were mounted to discourage any attack. Lookout towers and more turret emplacements were mounted on the rooftops and from streets behind the buildings, blue mortars of wraiths fired blindly into the advancing humans. The ground between the two forces was simply a killing zone.

"All advancing forces, strong Covenant defenses ahead of you. Do not, I repeat: Do not try any advance. We're going to get some heavy firepower on them. Standby. Over."

Chris obliged by crouching down behind a large piece of debris in the destroyed office and watching his enemies. He could see many brutes and jackals hiding in the windows, and occasionally a jackal sniper would show himself to fire at the human lines. Seeing the threat though, marine snipers would quickly dispatch the enemy. Using the scope on his battle rifle, he watched brutes in windows ordering smaller grunts around, and others directing the operations of the turrets. An eerie silence stretched between the two sides, as the UNSC forces waited for the "heavy firepower" that would hopefully weaken their enemies, and the Covenant waited for the humans to make their move. Essentially, they were staring each other down, each waiting for the other to make their move.

Finally, the ground shook slightly and the rumbling of many tanks could be heard. Before anyone saw them though, several shots from their 90 mm high velocity cannons ripped through the silence with a boom and hit amongst the Covenant lines. The shots pounded against the tall buildings and the recoil of the shots shook the ground. Chris could hear brutes roaring as the shots landed amongst their troops, destroying the buildings and ripping apart the defending infantry. Seconds later, the tanks released a second barrage and small black objects sailed through the air in front of the buildings. They hit the ground with a dull thud and immediately started spewing smoke and Chris realized they were smoke grenades. The smoke screen would definitely even the odds for the humans.

"Okay, go, go, go!" yelled the commander over the comm. system. As the smoke completely hid the buildings in front of the marines, they jumped up from their hiding places and stormed toward the Covenant defenses. Chris jumped up with the others and ran toward the unseen Covenant defenses. Suddenly, hot, purple plasma cut through the haze, killing several soldiers around Chris.

He quickly dove behind a thick piece of concrete and listened to the men shouting on their comm. systems. Though the Covenant couldn't see their enemies, they had enough firepower to adequately cover the area with plasma and still cause considerable damage. The Covenant defenders sprayed the area blindly and a turret pelted the cement block Chris was behind. He sank closer to the ground and covered his head as small pieces of burnt cement fell on him.

Seconds later, the turret found a new target and Chris quickly crawled away from his former hiding place. Large green projectiles appeared through the haze and landed amongst the marines, eliciting screams from a few. Chris focused purely on getting to a newer, better hiding place. The ground shook and more men screamed as he crawled over to a large crater sitting behind a relatively tall section of a brick wall. He quickly checked his weapon and peeked around the side of the structure. Marines were running through the smoke, firing on the invisible defenses, or taking cover when the defenses turned their attention toward them. Twenty or so were charging through the mist, stopping every now and then to fire blindly into the buildings. Others simply charged past their brothers and toward the defenses, screaming like madmen.

Chris shook his head as he slowly got to his knees. This smoke screen was making it difficult for both sides. If the marines could get through and surprise the Covenant, then it would be more effective. But because the Covenant has so many troops behind the smoke, they could blindly cover the area and still cause damage and the marines couldn't see their enemies and because of the cover the Covenant had with the buildings, they were doing little to no damage.

He growled in frustration and got up on one knee to aim at the Covenant. The smoke was beginning to dissipate, and through his scope, he could see a captain shouting orders to several jackals in the windows. Chris squeezed the trigger twice, and watched the beast jolt violently with each blow. He squeezed it one more time, and watched the brute crumple to the ground. He quickly picked off two more jackals and watched the remaining grunts scatter about.

Then, the area around him was covered with hot purple plasma and he quickly jumped back into the crater. Still, the unseen turret peppered his area with hot plasma as he covered his head and tried to his best to hide. Seconds later, the gunner found a new target and once again Chris's area was still. He quickly scrambled to his knees and used his scope to find the gunner peppering the area. But, now the smoke was gone, and the Covenant had a clear view to their enemies.

As Chris searched for his enemy, another brute took aim at him, and fired his carbine. The marine yelped in surprise as the green bolts landed terribly close to him, even singing his uniform. He ducked down behind the nearby brick structure and fired blindly, but he knew it was a lost cause.

Then, he heard static in his ear and a voice cut through the crackling, saying, "All units, pull back. I repeat: Stop the advance and pull back to the buildings on the western side of the killing zone. Over."

Chris growled as he waited for the brute to stop firing on him. As soon as the green bolts stopped pelting his position, he scrambled to his feet and ran back toward the safety of the other cover of the buildings, where the voice over his comm. system had ordered him to go. It seemed they weren't giving up as much land as last time. As he watched his comrades run back with him, he could help but be dismayed.

They'd failed again.


	24. Chapter 24: A Step Back

**Chapter 24: A Step Back**

* * *

_0630 Hours, October 2, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero, Western Sector, Headquarters _

General Hayes sighed as he walked down the hall and read the casualty reports from the ongoing offensive in Spero. Over a thousand soldiers had been killed holding off the Covenant offensive and hundreds more had died during the UNSC offensive into the city. A great contribution to the UNSC progress was due to actions of his son. Without their comm. systems and artillery emplacements working, the Covenant hadn't been able to raise strong defenses against the humans. Even so, the Covenant had been able to put up good defenses and the advance was stopped in its tracks a little while ago. Neither side was gaining nor losing anymore ground, but were simply staring each other down. The marines had managed to take back much more ground though, and the Covenant now occupied less than one third of Spero. The men's morale was up and all they needed was a little motivation to take back the rest of the city.

"Sir," said a timid voice next to him. Hayes looked to his right to see a wide-eyed corporal trotting next to him. "Fleet Master 'Vadum has arrived and is waiting for you in the briefing room."

Hayes nodded. "Thank you, corporal. I'll head that way." The young man nodded and headed back the way they'd come. Hayes also changed direction and headed straight for the base's main briefing room. Minutes later, the large proximity-activated doors whooshed open to reveal the large room. It was empty, save for the massive alien and two of his honor guard. Hayes nodded toward him and said, "Welcome, Fleet Master. Was the flight down here alright?"

'Vadum faced the human completely and shrugged slightly. "As only can be expected."

Hayes took that as a yes, and sat down in one of the many chairs in the empty room. "I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting you, my friend."

"I apologize for the intrusion, General," said the alien. "But I was anxious to hear how the offensive in Spero has been going and what we can do to help."

Hayes leaned forward toward his ally. "Do you have troops ready?" he asked earnestly.

"Yes, thousands are on the way and should arrive in a few days."

Hayes leaned back and silently thanked God for the break. "Thank you, my friend," he said to 'Vadum. "Now, the offensive…" He pulled out the electronic pad with all the casualties and looked over it quickly. With a sigh, he began: "Our first attempt wasn't very successful. The Covenant were planning an offensive and unfortunately, both were launched at the same time. No one really gained any ground worth mentioning. We managed to knock out some of their comm. arrays and artillery emplacements though, and we managed to gain some ground early this morning." He pulled up a map showing how much of city was occupied by each side, and slid the pad over to Sangheili to see.

A smile broke out across the alien's face as he examined it. "Well done! I commend your troops!" he boomed.

Hayes smiled and nodded, thinking of his son and his contribution to the fight. "Yes, they're good men. Good soldiers."

The alien nodded. "And the casualties?" he asked, sliding the pad back over to the marine.

The general sighed again and typed in a few commands before handing the pad back. "High. Almost two thousand dead… in two days. Many of the men originally stationed in Spero were killed." He paused before looking his ally in the eye. "We need reinforcements."

'Vadum nodded. "They'll be here." A moment later, he asked, "Have you been more successful moving men from other colonies?"

Hayes shrugged. "No, we're still having a hard time moving them. We've managed to calm down the population and on each colony we've started recruiting new men for the fight. Now a large group of them is on the way. They'll be here in a few days."

"Good. When my soldiers arrive, they will gladly fight by your men," said 'Vadum. His two honor guard nodded as well, as though assuring him of their loyalty.

Hayes nodded in acknowledgement but sighed and moved on to a new subject. "We need to figure out what to do now."

A long silence stretched between the two men as they contemplated their situation. Then, 'Vadum asked, "What about the Covenant? What have they been up to?"

Hayes pulled up another map on the electronic pad. "Our intelligence officers have just finished figuring that out." He showed the map to the alien. "They backed out of some cities that were in bad strategic locations for them. Their main attention seems to be on and around Noceo. It's obviously their capitol city and they have all kinds of defenses around it and the mountains. Here, see?" he asked as he changed the map.

Indeed, it had changed since 'Vadum had last seen it a few days ago. Rather than having random enemy cities scattered about, there were many abandoned cities that had been destroyed when the Covenant first rose up. Now, there were fewer cities, and all of them were close to Noceo. They were primarily to the north, south, and east of the city and mountains. The only large city to the west of the Covenant capitol worth taking was Spero, and many Covenant soldiers were dedicated to that location. Taking that city would not only provide a blow to the humans' morale, but it would also make a near perfect circle of protection around Noceo and the mountains.

'Vadum studied the map carefully and finally looked at Hayes. "They're very smart."

Hayes nodded fervently in agreement. "Yeah. I'll admit I was surprised when I heard they were abandoning cities and pulling back. But when you think about it, they don't want to completely conquer this planet, everything they want is in that mountain range… and they gotta protect it."

"Yes, indeed," said the Sangheili in agreement as he continued to study the map. "So, with this in mind, what do we do next?"

The human sighed deeply and stroke his chin. "Their main focus right now is on Spero. They want their little circle of protection and I think we need to make sure they don't get that." He looked up at 'Vadum, who was anxiously awaiting his plan. "This is simple. Their focus is on Spero, therefore, so should ours."

"So then we continue to send troops to Spero? When reinforcements arrive we send them there?" asked 'Vadum. He wasn't so much asking because he didn't understand; he was asking to make sure Hayes would make the right decision when it came to the new troops.

The human general sighed again and rubbed the back of his head. "What we should do is relocate some of the men that have been fighting in Spero for a while. I think they've earned themselves a break…" He paused for a moment and composed his thoughts. "So we'll send the new reinforcements to Spero and disperse the men currently stationed there to other cities that might be in danger of attack to defend them."

'Vadum nodded in agreement, glad to hear the man making the right choice. "Good. But what if they refuse to leave? Some of my soldiers… they don't like to leave without finishing their work," he explained.

Hayes shrugged. "It's their decision to make. If they want to stay, great! We could use more men. If not, we have enough to defend Spero and we have other assignments for them."

The alien nodded and started pacing again. "So when the reinforcements arrive, we'll spread out the veterans and put the fresh troops on the frontline. Our focus is Spero, as it is with the Covenant. Am I correct so far?" he asked.

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"What about after we get them out of Spero? These vermin are determined and will only seek revenge all the more. If this… circle of protection is what they want, and it's important enough to give up whole cities they've conquered, they won't stop fighting for Spero simply because they aren't within the city limits anymore."

"I don't expect them to. We'll simply have to defend Spero when they counterattack," decided Hayes.

The Sangheili fleet master nodded and started pacing yet again. Hayes patiently watched and waited for him, having learned that this alien did most of his thinking on his feet. After a minute, the alien stopped. "We seem to have planned our next few moves, General. What about after that?"

Hayes rose to his feet for the first time in a while and shrugged. "I don't know. Really, it all depends on what happens at Spero."

"What if we fail? What if they take the city and complete their circle?" asked 'Vadum.

"Well, we'll have to make sure we do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen. In the meantime, I think it would be wise for us to figure out what to do if that happens. A plan 'B' basically."

"I agree completely." The alien looked at a clock hanging on a wall. "Should we consult your commanders now or later?" he asked Hayes.

The general ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "This isn't urgent enough to bring them all in here now. I'll schedule a meeting first thing tomorrow and we'll run this by my men. I'll they'll be glad to hear we've been figuring out what to do next."

"That or very angry for not be in the original planning," speculated 'Vadum.

Thinking of General Pretman, Hayes grimaced. "Well, I can think of one who might feel that way." He looked at his alien companion though with a twinkle in his eye. "But screw him. He needs to remember we're his superiors."

'Vadum nodded and motioned to his honor guards that it was time to go. "Well then, General, I shall see you in the morning for the briefing."

"Tomorrow then," Hayes said as the door closed. In the silence, he muttered to himself, "Let's hope our buddy the prophet and his pals aren't as good a strategists as they think."


	25. Chapter 25: Wandering Ways

**Chapter 25: Wandering Ways**

**

* * *

**

_1935 Hours, October 2, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, Close to Noceo_

Corporal Tyler Walkins sighed as he and his friends walked through the dark woods. Scattered sunlight from the setting suns illuminated the forms of Teddy and Ian in front of him. Both were looking around the woods uneasily and watching for any Covenant. Since they'd gotten out of the city, everyone had been on edge.

After Ian decided to join them, they searched for a way to get out of the city. Yesterday, on the first of October, they found a small hole in the Covenant's defenses and had managed to slip through unnoticed. But ever since then, the three lone soldiers had been afraid of being found by a Covenant patrol and hadn't stopped since they'd gotten out. Still, they had a long way to go.

"Hey!" Ian shouted, tearing Tyler from his thoughts. He looked up from the ground and saw that his two friends had stopped and were looking at him. "Keep up, man. We don't have time to slow down."

Tyler groaned, but not loud enough for Ian to hear. Ever since he'd joined them, Ian had taken the role of leader, not that Tyler really minded. After this, he would probably never see Ian Beye again. He could handle a few days with the man. Tired of carrying his weapon, he used the strap and slung it around his shoulder before walking over to his two friends.

Ian glanced at him once before walking on again. "Come on, we need to keep heading west."

"Why west?" asked Teddy.

"That's where Spero is," said Ian calmly.

"And you think it's in better shape than Noceo?" asked Tyler skeptically.

Ian glanced over his shoulder at him before saying, "Spero is our capitol. They wouldn't give it up that easily. Besides, the majority of the population in Noceo was alien. We didn't stand a chance."

Tyler nodded to himself, seeing personally how true that was. "So what do we do when we get there?" he asked the superior officer.

Ian kept walking in silence for a moment, carefully stepping over a root before turning around and facing his friend. "We'll figure that out when we get there. Right now, I think we should worry about avoiding Covenant."

"Why would Covenant be all the way out here?" asked Teddy as he stepped over the same root Ian just did.

Ian ducked under some branches and looked to his right and left before taking another step. Tyler did likewise but saw nothing but trees flooded by a fine mist in either direction. The process seemed a little over the top, but better safe than sorry though.

"We're in enemy territory, boys," explained Ian. The words seemed to remind him of the danger they were in and he quickened his pace ever so slightly. "They could be out here patrolling and keeping an eye out for a couple of brave ODSTs crazy enough to try something or signs of a possible counterattack. Honestly they don't need a real reason. This is their territory and they're going to protect it." Ian stopped and faced the two younger soldiers. "We'd do the same thing. Around cities we probably are." The man then shrugged and resumed his brisk pace.

"Hey, Ian," Tyler said before ducking under some low branches. "How much do you think the Covenant have taken over?"

Ian shrugged again as he stepped over a fallen, rotting tree. "Don't know. But honestly, the only thing we should be worrying about is getting that index back to command." Ian glanced over his shoulder at them, making sure they were keeping up with his quick pace.

Overhead, two quick flashes illuminated the darkening forest and were quickly followed by a deafening boom. The three soldiers merely glanced upward, but continued on without stopping. Seconds later, a downpour of rain let loose and soaked the men in seconds. The sound of the water hitting the millions of leaves above them produced a cacophony of noise so loud that Tyler barely heard Ian when he told them to stop.

"What?" he shouted over the rain.

Ian had stopped moments before, and when Tyler shouted he whirled around and clamped his filthy hand over the other man's mouth. "Shut up!" he whispered fiercely.

Tyler nodded fervently, and as Teddy walked up, he glanced between both men and finally looked at Ian. "What are you doing, man?" he asked.

Ian simply glared at the younger soldier and he quickly quieted. He held his index finger in front of his mouth until both his companions nodded. Then, he motioned them forward and pointed at the ground. There in the mud, water was pooling in the very clear imprint of a brute foot. The footprint was large, longer than twelve inches and well over eight inches wide. And it was fresh.

"Damn," muttered Teddy quietly.

Ian simply nodded. "I started noticing signs of a brute patrol a while ago. We've been following in their footsteps for a while now."

"Is that why you've been so nervous?" asked Teddy, voicing Tyler's own thoughts.

"Yeah," said the older marine simply.

"Why are we following them? What if they double back and run right into us?" asked Tyler.

Without answering his question, Ian looked around nervously and nodded forward. "Let's keep moving. We don't know how many patrols are out here." He remembered Tyler's question then, and explained, "The brutes won't double back. They'll go around in a circle. Start out going west, head a north a little ways, and then head back east toward the city. I've seen them do it many times before."

"When? The war's barely started," observed Teddy.

"_This_ war is barely started. I fought in the Human-Covenant War for many years."

Silence stretched between the men as they walked over the slippery, slimy terrain. More than once, Tyler and Teddy slipped on a wet log or boulder. But Ian seemed very sure of his footing. "Where's you learn this?" asked Tyler.

Ian stopped and glanced back with a confused expression. "Learn what?"

"You… said you'd seen signs of a patrol before the footprint. I haven't seen any. And how are you able to move through this terrain so easily? Me and Teddy are falling all over the place." By this time Teddy had caught up to them and was standing behind his friend.

Ian looked from one man to the other, and finally shrugged. "I used to go hunting with my dad before the war. He was an old veteran who fought in forest-like enviroments and taught me all about tracking."

"Where?"

"My homeplanet. In the forests of Sibet IV."

Tyler had heard of Sibet IV. The planet was mostly lush, green forest with a few massive seas that weren't quite large enough to be called oceans. He looked at Ian, who was still walking and ducking under low branches, and asked, "Whatever happened to it? I never heard."

Ian sighed slightly, but kept moving. "In 2545, and a day after I left for basic, they came and started their attack. We never had much of a militia so they conquered it quickly. I guess they never had any real use for it so they glassed it after that." The man spoke with such a detached voice that Tyler could hardly believe this was his family and homeworld that he was talking about. Ian finally glanced back when Tyler said nothing and offered a sad smile. "It's okay. It was years ago."

Tyler smiled back sadly, but still said nothing for a while. After a few minutes, he decided to switch to a new subject. "Hey, are we going to stop for the night or something?" he asked.

Ian stopped so suddenly that Tyler almost ran into him. Before he could react further, the man turned around and motioned for them to move back. Like lightning, he switched the safety off his assault rifle and bolted through the trees to the right. Tyler and Teddy quickly followed, but had trouble keeping up with the man's fast pace. The large drops of rain painfully spattered on and branches whipped their faces as they sprinted through the foliage. After a few hundred feet, they spotted Ian, who had taken up positions behind a large, wet boulder. As they approached, he motioned for them to be quiet and pointed in front of them.

Tyler looked and saw they were close to the edge of a ridge. From their vantage point at the ridge, they could see that if they'd kept going straight, they would've walked right into a brute patrol below them. Ten large beasts stalked through the foliage below, heading for right where the marines would've walked in. if Ian hadn't warned them, they could probably be dead by now.

Ian leaned in and whispered, "It's a different group than the one we've been following. I didn't plan on two patrols crossing paths, let alone right where we would be."

"How'd you see them?" asked Tyler.

"I saw the moon reflecting off his helmet," he said as he pointed to a brute. The brute was obviously the leader, as he was in the front, and had a large blue helmet, indicating him as a brute captain. Tyler still didn't see how he could spot the beast through the pouring rain.

"Good eye," commented Teddy from behind them.

"Should we take 'em?" asked Tyler.

"No," came the quick, confident answer.

"Aww, why not?" asked Teddy, who already had his weapon out and at the ready.

"For one thing, we're totally outnumbered and outgunned. And second of all," he stopped and looked pointedly at Tyler. "we have a special package here that needs to be delivered." Tyler nodded, understanding what he was referring to immediately. The index. "If that fell into their hands," he nodded toward the passing brutes and then looked back at his companions. "it wouldn't matter what we did anymore. The war would be lost."

Tyler grimaced slightly and looked between Ian and Teddy. Since he was carrying the index, he felt more responsible for it than anyone else. "Guess we'd better make sure that doesn't happen, huh?" he said quietly.

Ian nodded with a sad smile before checking once more for the brute patrol. Moments later, he motioned for them to move to their right and head back down the side of the ridge. They quickly ran through the mud, putting more distance between them and the beasts. After a few miles, the three men slowed to a brisk walk and checked around them.

"I think we should rest here for tonight," decided Ian.

Tyler looked around and saw that the area they were standing in was relatively dry. He and Teddy nodded in agreement and quickly shrugged their packs off, grateful to be relieved of the weight, and used them to rest their heads on and keep them out of the mud. Ian agreed to take the first shift and make sure nothing snuck up on them while they slept. As Tyler laid his head back, exhaustion took him and he was in a deep sleep before his head hit his makeshift pillow.


	26. Chapter 26: Sedition

**Chapter 26: Sedition**

* * *

_0623 October 3, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Orbiting Novus Pacis, Aboard Covenant Assault Carrier _Precedence

The Prophet of Reclamation sat and looked out the massive windows of the observation deck of the ship. As he looked at the surface of Novus Pacis he imagined the fighting going on down there. Their attack on this planet wasn't as aggressive as others in their history. Actually, it was probably the most reserved of any they'd done in the past.

It was mainly defensive; all about protecting that precious structure in the mountains. The Covenant had actually moved relatively far out and managed to take many cities, but in order to keep their focus on the small mountain range, they gave up many of those cities to pull those troops back to Noceo and the other surrounding cities. To strengthen their circle of protection.

"Sir," said a familiar voice. The San 'Shyuum turned around to face Alaricus and looked at him questioningly. "We've just received reports from the frontline. A little while ago the humans stopped their advances in Spero and have stopped, sir."

The prophet nodded and glanced over his shoulder once more out the window. "Very good, Alaricus," he said as he moved forward past the brute, motioning him to follow. "Have we finished pulling back?"

"Uh, yes, sir," said the brute hesitantly.

The prophet noticed this and asked, "Is there something wrong, my friend?"

"Sir," the brute started slowly. "I must admit I'm worried about getting ourselves trapped there. Pulling back into such a tight circle may make it easier for our enemies to surround us and destroy us."

Reclamation waved his hand, annoyed, and said, "Worry not, Alaricus. Everything we need is in that structure in the mountains. We don't need to worry about getting trapped, but we need to make sure they can't get to the structure. Speaking of the structure, how have you been doing? As far as getting inside?"

The brute sighed deeply and shook his head. "Slowly, sir. This structure is far older than any of the rings and we're having a hard time blowing the doors."

"Did you think of cutting inside?"

"Yes, sir. But this metal we're dealing with is much stronger than anything we've seen before."

The prophet stopped and rotated his chair so he was facing Alaricus fully. "Are you making excuses?"

Alaricus blinked several times, but recovered. "Of course not, sir." A pause, and then he nodded to himself and said, "We'll be inside in a few days." Reclamation linked his long, bony fingers together and nodded in approval. The Jiralhanae sighed quietly. Lately he'd been making many errors around the prophet; those errors being things like making excuses or arguing with him. If he wasn't careful, the prophet would someday find a good reason to have him killed. Too bad he already had… the poor brute just didn't realize this yet.

The prophet started moving again, leading them toward the conference room of the ship. To break the silence, Alaricus asked, "What's our battle plan for Spero, sir?"

The San 'Shyuum smiled and pressed his fingertips together. "We continue with our advance. These vermin are weaker than when we faced them before. They will fall soon."

"Sir, the Sangheili are helping them. And we've detected many ships from both the humans and the elites filled with reinforcements for the coming fight."

"Let them bring their ships, it matters not," said the prophet confidently.

The Chieftain of the Jiralhanae stayed silent for a moment, trying to figure out how to word his next statement without jeopardizing his safety. "My friend, are we dedicating too many troops to Spero? We've taken troops from other cities and locations to help forward the advance. What if the humans attack elsewhere?"

"They won't."

"How can you be so sure, sir?"

By now, the duo had made it to the conference room and the prophet hover his way over to the head of it. Meanwhile, Alaricus stood to the right of him. The holographic table before them suddenly hummed to life and displayed Spero, the mountains, and all the cities the Covenant had taken and were using to protect the relic. Markers indicated Covenant troop positions and known UNSC positions in and around the city. The prophet pointed to the human forces and looked at Alaricus. "Look, my friend. They have thousands dedicated to this city. Obviously, it's of vital importance, strategically as well as for boosting their morale. They won't attack anywhere else. They need a victory at Spero."

Alaricus nodded his understanding. "Even so," he said slowly. "I advise you to move some troops to the other positions."

The prophet looked at his companion very seriously. "I advise _you_ to do as I say and not ask questions. Are we clear, Alaricus?"

"Yes, sir," said Alaricus robotically, careful not to say anything that might anger the prophet even further.

"Now," the old alien clapped his hands together once. As if on cue, the holographic table powered down. "if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Fleet Master Ptolemaeus. I will see you again soon, my friend." The San 'Shyuum plastered on a fake smile to make the last statement more believable.

"Yes, hierarch," said Alaricus with a low bow. Then, he left his leader, glad to be rid of his presence.

Moments later, the large Jiralhanae Fleet Master marched his way into the room. He wasn't as happy as the last time they'd met, when he was first assigned the mission of finding the Forerunner relic. War changes everything, even for a barbaric brute such as Ptolemaeus. "Hello, hierarch," he said in his deep voice.

"Welcome, my friend," said the prophet with open arms. "It's been a little while."

"Just a little over two months on the human calendar, sir. Not too long." The brute stopped a few feet from his leader and offered a low bow, putting a fist over his heart. "It's always an honor to see you," he said as he stood.

"Likewise," said the San 'Shyuum with a smile. "Now, on to business."

"Yes, sir."

"The reason I called you here, my friend, is because I need someone I can trust to lead the attack of Spero," explained the prophet.

Ptolemaeus said nothing at first and then quickly recovered. "I'm honored, sir. But… what, may I ask, happened to the former commander?"

"He proved… incompetent. He's been reassigned and I instantly knew who his replacement should be." The prophet smiled to his friend, who bowed in gratitude, but said nothing. Ptolemaeus wasn't particularly articulate sometimes. "Now, shall we start coming up with some plans for the Second Battle of Spero?"

Ptolemaeus smiled and pulled out an electronic pad, obviously eager to show the prophet something. "Sir, actually I've already thought of some plans. While I was here I was hoping to show them to you as an idea for the attack. May I?" he asked, motioning to the holographic table.

"Of course."

The brute fleet master typed in several commands and the holographic display once again hummed to life. This time, it displayed a large, detailed, aerial view of Spero from the south. About one third of the city was shown as Covenant, and the rest as UNSC. Their last attack had proved to be more effective than their initial advance. Then, it shifted, showing the Covenant side of the city and the forward headquarters just outside of it. Ptolemaeus pointed around in this area.

"I propose," he started. "we place artillery emplacements around the headquarters and at the far eastern side of the city. We don't want to risk sabotage by the humans."

The prophet looked at where the brute had pointed and stroked his chin as he looked at his companion. "What will be the artillery's targets?" he asked.

"The UNSC side of the city, mostly the middle, to deter them from sending up reinforcements and to weaken them. Meanwhile, before our soldiers advance, wraiths will line up behind our defenses," The map zoomed in on the Covenant defenses: the large buildings in front of the area now known as the Killing Zone. Where the UNSC had to stop their advances and order their men to pull back. Ptolemaeus continued, "and bombard the nearby UNSC positions, just on the other side of the Killing Zone. It'll weaken their defenses there so they won't be able to stop our soldiers as they advance," he finished with a grin.

Reclamation stayed silent for a moment, imagining how such a battle plan would play out. There were many loopholes, and weaknesses that the humans could exploit, but then again, they were so weakened these days they probably wouldn't even put up a good fight. "This could work, my friend," he finally said slowly.

The Jiralhanae nodded fervently. "Thank you, my liege. I truly hope so." He looked at the hologram once more and finally asked, "Sir, should we have anti-air defenses?"

The prophet scoffed and shook his head. "No, of course not. The humans are weak and will soon fall. They have very few air capabilities. You just worry about your troops and the advance."

"How many troops have we dedicated to the attack, sir?"

The prophet thought for a moment and said, "Thirty thousand. That should be all you need, but there are fifty more at your disposal should you deem necessary."

_Thirty thousand. More than enough to crush the human vermin,_ Ptolemaeus thought to himself. "How many are the humans?"

The San 'Shyuum smiled mischievously. "Ten thousand. We've received reports that they have reinforcements on the way, but they shouldn't be here for a while." The prophet seemed finished, but then remembered something else and leaned forward in his gravity throne. "But, the elites have dedicated several thousand to this battle. Do _not_ underestimate them. Together they could be very competent rivals."

"Yes, sir," said Ptolemaeus quickly.

"Excellent," hissed the prophet. "Now, onto our other project…" He then turned the holographic table off and locked the large doors into the room, preventing anyone from getting in. Ptolemaeus then understood what they were going to discuss.

"I know you asked for my help in betraying Alaricus," started the Fleet Master. "I'm trying, sir. But—"

"Silence, Ptolemaeus," said the prophet. It wasn't said with much force, but with enough authority to immediately silence the larger alien. "Alaricus knows I'm angered with him. He's been trying harder not to say anything that might betray his weaknesses. Still, he makes mistakes."

Ptolemaeus nodded. "Is there anything he says that we can use against him? To overthrow him?"

"No." The prophet pressed his fingers together and sank lower into his chair, deep in thought. After a few moments he said, "We must make him fall. Put him into a situation where the decision he will make is the wrong one."

Again, the Fleet Master nodded, showing his approval. "How will we make sure he makes the choice we want him to?"

"Alaricus is far too good-natured for a high ranking brute. When I killed Marcellus, he was deeply saddened. It seems the death of brutes, by my hand especially, upsets him."

"So we must sacrifice a few brutes then, sir," said Ptolemaeus in a firm voice.

The prophet looked at him with a surprised expression. "You don't mind the killing of your kind?"

The Jiralhanae immediately recognized what the prophet was doing. He was testing him, seeing if he could be given an order by the prophet, no matter how horrible, and carry it out without remorse or mercy. The Fleet Master straightened and nodded. "It's for a good cause, sir. A few Jiralhanae sacrificed for the better of our kind. Give me the order and I will carry it out swiftly."

Reclamation smiled and nodded to himself. _I'd made a good choice in who would lead the brutes after Alaricus,_ he thought to himself. "Good. We must wait for the right moment, Ptolemaeus. Just focus on taking back Spero and wait for my orders. Soon this will all be over."


	27. Chapter 27: The Circle Part 1

**Chapter 27: The Circle—Part 1**

* * *

_0545 Hours, October 4, 2563 (Military Calendar)/  
Lambda Serpentis System, Surface of Novus Pacis, City of Spero, Western Sector_

Lincoln Hayes looked out the pelican as they flew over the city and towards the frontlines at the Killing Zone. Spero had been almost completely leveled by the constant fighting and the recent Covenant shelling. A few hours ago, new Covenant artillery emplacements appeared and began shelling the far western sectors of the city. General Hayes assumed that this could only mean they were preparing for an advance, which unfortunately was the last thing the UNSC needed at the moment.

Sangheili reinforcements had arrived only a few hours ago, but unfortunately the UNSC reinforcements had been held up by the Covenant navy. Of course, the Elites were assisting them in the fight and those that had already dropped off soldiers were now back in space, fighting. Even with the alien reinforcements, reports showed that they were hopelessly outnumbered by the Covenant attackers. Not only that, they were hopelessly unprepared.

After their defeat at the Killing Zone, the UNSC hadn't raised any real defenses there. Without good defenses, the larger Covenant force would no doubt roll right over them. That's where Lincoln and the ODSTs came in. Nearly all the available ODSTs in the city had been gathered together for this assignment.

General Hayes and Rtas 'Vadum had come up with a plan to stop the Covenant long enough for the other soldiers to put together a strong set of defenses, the only problem was that it was a suicide mission for ODSTs. Their job was to go to the frontlines at the Killing Zone, which now stretched from the southernmost end of the city to the northernmost end, and hold off the covenant charge long enough for defenses to be set up. Easy enough, except that the number of ODSTs in the whole city was only three hundred and the number of Sangheili was just over a thousand, while the Covenant would be sending in thousands of soldiers for this attack. The defensive line of Special Forces soldiers was spread out across the entire city, and every soldier heading to the front knew it was a suicide.

Lincoln sighed and leaned back inside the dropship as they began to approach. Many pelicans were flying in, dropping off soldiers while other ODSTs came in on foot. The Sangheili forces, having just touched down, were still disorganized and wouldn't be joining the fight for a little while. As the ship turned around and hovered over their drop zone, Lincoln and his squad could see the fighting that had already started. The large blue forms of wraiths were far out on the other side of the Killing Zone, and young Hayes could see several of them already burning.

As his pelican lowered closer to the ground, Lincoln's heart began to pound. It was ironic that he could very well die today… all because of his father's plan.

"Okay, go, go, go!" shouted the pilot over the intercom.

Automatically, the soldiers jumped out of the pelican and into the ferocious battlefield. Lincoln and his squad touched down and looked around them, seeing they had landed in what used to be a tall building. Now it was almost completely leveled except for a few walls still standing. As they looked around, they could see they were a few hundred yards behind where the other ODSTs.

Lincoln keyed his mike and said, "Okay, boys. Let's hop to it!" Then, he switched the safety off his battle rifle and ran through the demolished buildings to the frontline with Seth, Priest, and Grandpa right on his heels. They jumped over what remained of once tall walls and ran through destroyed buildings until they appeared at the front.

Surprisingly, many tanks and other heavy weapons had been provided and were fighting off the Covenant armor divisions. At least twenty wraiths were sitting in front of the buildings several hundred yards away, half-hidden by the early morning fog. Several of them opened fire at once, raining large blue plasma mortars down on the human lines. Lincoln and his team moved back with the other ODSTs to the somewhat safety of the half-demolished buildings behind them. As the soldiers ducked for cover, the ground shook violently as the mortars landed and the scorpions returned fire on them. In the distance, Lincoln saw three burst into flame and explode as the scorpions all scored hits. It was a showdown between the UNSC armor divisions and Covenant armor.

The ODSTs remained in the shadows, behind their brothers in armor, and watched the skilled tank commanders move his vehicles back and forth, dodging the plasma mortars and still managing to hit their targets at the other end of the large Killing Zone. The ground shook violently, and Lincoln jumped as a nearby scorpion was hit by one of the plasma mortars. The tank burst into flame, and it's main gun exploded into the air and landed a few feet away. Still, the fighting continued.

Lincoln and his team looked to their left, the north, and saw that ODST reinforcements were bringing up more heavy weaponry to give them a better chance. Turrets, marines carrying rocket launchers and missile pods, and even flamethrowers came into view and were being set up just a little in front of the hiding marines, but still somewhat behind cover. And they'd be used soon.

The large blue wraiths started pulling back behind the Covenant defenses on the other side of the massive, debris-ridden clearing. Each one fired one more shot, then quickly turned and started driving in the opposite direction, back to cover, giving the scorpions a clear shot at them. From where Lincoln was, he only saw five that actually made it to safety, leaving the Killing Zone ridden with burning wraith corpses. Then, all the ODSTs jumped from their cover, and let loose a loud, triumphant cheer, firing their weapons into the air in celebratory fire. Lincoln and his squad cheered with the rest, and watched the wraiths finally disappear. But the fighting wasn't over yet, and everyone knew it.

"Soldiers, Covenant infantry spotted," said a voice in Lincoln's headset. Slowly, the cheering stopped as the soldiers saw the red dots appear on their radars. Not so much dots, as much a massive red mass moving toward them… enveloping the city shown on their tiny screens. "Covenant infantry inbound. Sangheili ETA: fifteen minutes. Good luck, soldiers," the voice said.

"Men! Back to cover!" shouted a new voice over the intercom. Lincoln recognized it as Colonel Parkins, the field commander for the ODSTs. The soldiers immediately obeyed and ran back to their previous hiding places. The scorpions pulled back, but only a little, so as to give the soldiers a clear line of fire.

Lincoln motioned for his men to follow him, and he led them to a partially intact building that had a clear view of the battlefield. It even had a second floor. "Seth, Grandpa, you're with me on the first floor!" he shouted into his mike. "Priest, take the second level! You'll have a good view up there."

"Yes, sir," each soldier said in response.

Lincoln jumped behind a small brick wall, as Grandpa lay in a prone position on the ground nearby, and Seth crouched behind a window frame. Two other ODSTs had the same idea as Lincoln and quickly jogged over next to him and crouched behind some of the debris. On his HUD, the sergeant saw the positions of all the Special Forces soldiers spread out in a long line across the city. And what a thin line it was. There were only pockets of five or six marines spaced out on the line, while the Covenant forces took up most of the radar.

"Sir, I see them," said Priest calmly over the team's intercom.

Lincoln raised his battle rifle and looked downrange through the scope. Sure enough, he could see the large forms of brutes, jackals, and grunts as they ran toward the human lines. He heard the sharp cracks of a sniper rifle above him and lowered his gun to see where Priest was firing. The vapor trails left by his bullets weren't headed toward the infantry on the ground, but rather to the Covenant defenses on the other side of the KZ.

"Enemy snipers, sir," explained Priest, as though reading Lincoln's mind. Then another shot followed his others.

"Ready yourselves, soldiers," said Colonel Parkins. "Wait for my command. Don't get jumpy."

Lincoln and his teammates looked through their scopes down the battlefield at the rapidly approaching wave of aliens. It was a sea of fur, scales, and armor as they charged toward the weak human lines. Their hearts pounded in their ears in unison with the ground as it shook from the stampeding soldiers.

"Steady, men," said the colonel. Lincoln sighed deeply as he watched the approaching Covenant. He crossed his index finger and middle finger, making sure he didn't fire too soon. He wanted to; the Covenant were almost halfway across the KZ and not a single one had been killed yet. "Wait…" said the colonel. Lincoln growled in frustration, and he heard one of the others ODSTs whimper slightly. On his HUD, blue dots in his area were moving back in fear, ever so slightly. "Wait…" said Parkins again. Slowly, Lincoln uncrossed his fingers and waited impatiently for the order.

Finally, as the Covenant crossed the halfway point, about two hundred yards out, Parkins shouted, "Fire! Fire at will!" A loud boom, louder than anything Lincoln had ever heard before, erupted from the human lines of defense as hundreds of weapons all let loose at once. The tanks fired into the Covenant lines as well, digging up large craters and taking several aliens as once, as there were so many of them they were all close together in the charge. Hundreds of battle rifles, assault rifles, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and turrets also fired into the aliens. Almost as if they'd all run into a large trip wire, the front aliens stumbled and fell, exposing the aliens behind them the relentless fire. Brutes, grunts, and jackals fell to the ground, tripping the still-charging aliens behind them and causing them to fall as well.

Lincoln picked no targets, merely squeezed his trigger as many times as possible and hoped to kill as many aliens as possible. The massive force of monsters in front of him seemed to take a large amount of damage as the first rows of soldiers stumbled and fell under the hail of bullets. As Lincoln fired, he watched a grunt take several rounds to the head and fall to the ground. Unfortunately, a jackal right behind him tripped over the carcass, and was trampled by the massive brutes behind him. Another jackal took several rounds to the head as well, resulting in him squeezing and holding the trigger on his plasma pistol before letting loose a fully charged round onto a passing brute. The round lowered the brute's shields, and he was quickly killed under the hail of bullets. Quickly, the KZ was becoming choked with corpses.

Still, as the Covenant took heavy damages, the charge barely seemed to slow. They were still rapidly approaching and showed no signs of slowing down. Lincoln's heart pounded in his ears as he reloaded his weapon and watched the bloodthirsty aliens continue to charge toward them. Then, in his ear he heard, "Elites inbound! Standby."

"Thank God!" Priest shouted into the team's intercom.

Lincoln smiled, as Priest's little outburst matched his thoughts exactly. They were saved! Overhead, they heard the humming of phantoms as they flew low overhead, strafing the mass of Covenant soldiers and dropping off alien troops amongst the ODSTs. On hid HUD, Lincoln saw the number of yellow dots almost triple as the elite forces joined the fight. A group of five blue soldiers, led by an eight foot tall red elite, ran over toward Lincoln, ducking as much as they could as they got into the crossfire.

"Cease fire!" shouted the red elite. The ODSTs stopped firing just long enough for the Sangheili to get out of the way and get into good positions to start fighting. "Who's the leader here?" the Major Domo asked.

Lincoln waved for him to come over and shouted over the firing, "Sergeant Hayes, sir!"

"Major 'Taham, Sergeant," shouted back the alien. 'Taham then started firing his carbine into the large mass of aliens. His green projectiles were easy to keep track of, and Lincoln watched the alien get five headshots in a row. Obviously he was a very skilled fighter. "Look to the skies!" the Sangheili then shouted.

Lincoln lowered his battle rifle and looked up to see a Sangheili CCS-class Battlecruiser flying overhead. Then, beneath it, he saw hundreds of tiny objects falling from it. As they got closer, he finally recognized them as elite drop pods. He and the rest of the soldiers around him watched as the coffin-shaped one-passenger vehicles plummeted to the ground and landed amongst the Covenant.

"Major!" shouted Lincoln in surprise. "They landed right in the middle of them!"

The elite simply nodded. "It's to distract the Covenant so we may fight them and hold them off. They knew their mission before they took it. It's a suicide mission." He then looked down at Lincoln. "Much like ours."

Lincoln shook his head and shouted, "Keep firing, men!" to his soldiers before running up to where Priest was crouching behind a window frame, giving him a better view of the battlefield. He used his battle rifle's scope and looked out in the middle of the mass of Covenant troops. There, he could see that many of the coffin-shaped pods had landed in the middle of KZ. Then, simultaneously, the Sangheili, wielding two energy swords, jumped out of their pods, and immediately started slashing at anything in sight. Lincoln and Priest watched as the elites quickly made a large perimeter around each of them. The aliens around them stopped running toward the front and stopped to fire on the crazed, murderous Sangheili amongst them.

Lincoln lowered his weapon and saw that another wave of drop pods was landing amongst them. The KZ was almost halfway filled with the coffins and Lincoln was sure at least one poor grunt had one land on him. It was chaos in the field now: filled with attacking Sangheili, moving like lightning and killing everything in sight; and Covenant, who couldn't decide whether to fight the elites, the humans, or simply ran back.

Lincoln crouched down next to Priest, who in all this continued to fire, and started firing into the swarm of soldiers, trying to aim for officers when he could. Honestly, it was sheer chaos out there, but the Covenant still outnumbered the Sangheili soldiers by a massive amount. Lincoln and his team watched several elites fighting side-by-side fall to a large group of brutes firing at them from behind. The same thing was happening all across the KZ; there were simply too many Covenant. But, the surprise aerial was anything but useless. Confused and scared grunts and jackals ran everywhere, distracting their brute commanding officers, who therefore didn't notice the marines taking aim at them. What's more, the charge was temporarily stalled since the Covenant had enemies amongst their own ranks to deal with.

But, nothing ever lasts. Lincoln fired carefully as some of the surviving Sangheili soldiers started running back to join their companions back along the human lines. The ODSTs near Sergeant Hayes ceased fire as a Sangheili SpecOps duo ran and joined them. And once again, the Covenant attention was back on the UNSC defenses. This time though, the charge was slower.

The marines fired at the Covenant as they used what little cover the debris around them provided. Grunts had it easy, as they crouched down behind the short remaining pieces of buildings. Brutes got on one knee, trying to hide behind some of the debris, and fired their spikers randomly into the human defenses. The jackals had their own cover, but their shields proved vulnerable to the Sangheili's plasma weapons and quickly overheated and disappeared. Yet again, it was a deadlock in Spero.

The roar of the battle was deafening. Tanks fired, shaking the ground violently with each of their recoils. Hundreds of soldiers were firing their weapons all at once, making the area between the Covenant and Human/Sangheili blur with the number of projectiles flying back and forth. If one looked at the scene from the sky, the two lines would be clearly visible, marked by the two long lines of different colored fire bursting from all the barrels.

Lincoln fired at the Covenant along with the rest of the ODST and Sangheili ranks. He focused on the group directly in front of him, trying to make sure that his position wasn't overrun. With his squad, the two other ODSTs, and the eight other Sangheili soldiers, their position was well defended. Major 'Taham roared, "Spread out along our position! There must be no weaknesses!"

Hayes watched a Minor elite and the two other ODSTs run toward their left, crouching down behind what was left of another building. The elite stood above the humans, firing his plasma rifle with a roar as the humans soon fired with him. Lincoln crouched behind the window frame and reloaded, watching Priest carefully firing into the Covenant ranks. His mouth was moving in a silent prayer as he focused on targets down range and prayed for the shot to be true. Seconds later, his sniper rifle barked twice, and the sniper smiled grimly, indicating his success.

Lincoln finished reloading his weapon and quickly got on one knee to fire again. He aimed carefully at a large brute roaring to the soldiers around him and squeezed the trigger. The beast jerked violently with every impact after several bursts crumpled to the ground. Lincoln then fired into a small group of grunts behind the body, smiling as he watched the grunts drop to the ground. He fired his gun empty, and glanced over to where the two marines and the Sangheili were.

One had been shot dead, and was lying on the ground like a ragdoll behind his allies. The Sangheili was clutching at his side, and from where Lincoln was he could see the elite was bleeding badly. The other marine was fine for the most part, but continued to glance back at his dead friend. Seconds later, a brute carefully aimed at the three soldiers and squeezed the trigger, just before falling to gunfire from another group of soldiers. Lincoln watched the other human soldier jerk violently as one of the spiker rounds pierced his chest, and the Sangheili warrior drop to one knee as another pierced his upper leg. The elite stood and leaned on his one good leg and fired into the Covenant mass before trying to hop over to where his other companions stood. He almost made it before a beam rifle round shot straight through his neck. The Sangheili soldier crumpled to the ground, lifeless.

Lincoln quickly glanced down below him to where the rest of his team and the other elite soldiers were fighting. He did a quick count, and thankfully found all of them still there.

He then turned his attention back toward the large mass of Covenant soldiers in front of him and fired again, trying to avenge the deaths of those other three soldiers. Rather than aiming at any specific soldier, he focused on squeezing the trigger as many times as possible. He stopped to reload after emptying his magazine and looked and saw that he only had two mags left. With a sigh, he slammed the next mag home and started firing into the alien invaders once again.

_God, let them finish those defenses fast!_ he thought to himself. Almost every soldier on the front was dealing with the same problems as Lincoln. All were running low on ammo. Below him, he heard his teammates shouting to one another for ammunition, and the elites' weapons were quickly overheating.

The UNSC and elites were quickly losing this battle.

Lincoln fired blindly into the crowd of aliens, but hoped each of his bullets was doing something. With such low ammo, every bullet needed to count. His gun clicked as he continued to squeeze the trigger, signaling he was out of ammo. He grabbed his last mag and slammed it into the weapon before scanning the battlefield again. On his HUD, the number of yellow dots was starting to deplete, and ever so slightly, the large Covenant mass on his radar was inching forward. Soon these defenses would fold.

Then, his prayers were answered. "All units," everyone heard. "fall back. I repeat: Secondary defenses are ready. Fall back!"


End file.
